Duo
by daltontie
Summary: Set after "Blame it on the Alcohol." A series of missunderstandings change everything. Kurt and Blaine try to fix things between them but it'll take them a long time to be comfortable around each other again. Kurt/Blaine.
1. That's how much I love you

**1**

**That's how much I love you**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, Wes.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: While this story might be looking good and positive for a possible Blaine/Kurt hook up, you can expect a lot of angst. Just because I love it, hehe.

*.*

**That's how much I love you**

It'd been awkward, very awkward.

Ok, so Blaine had kissed Rachel and then accepted to go on a date. Rachel had even taken the challenge of turning him into a straight boy and failed. Blaine remained to be very gay, which had to be good news for Kurt – except that it wasn't, because they weren't talking.

Kurt looked at himself in the mirror and finished arranging his tie. For a moment, he thought that it wasn't so bad to try and be like everyone else at least for a while when wearing his uniform, like he was one of the guys with the Warblers, not needing to stand out. It was a weird feeling to have at this stage. He'd always been proud of being different, even if that'd cost him people's acceptance of him sometimes.

Pavarotti's singing brought Kurt back to reality and to the only Warbler Kurt was interested in as more than friends. He smiled sadly, remembering that Blaine had been the one to introduce him to the beautiful bird.

There was a knock on the door and Kurt made sure that everything was ready for him to go. Wes had been checking on him for the last couple of days, detecting that something was off between Kurt and Blaine. The man, of course, would not rest until the chorus was perfect, even if that meant stalking the students until they got their butts in gear. Normally Kurt would have protested at the idea, but with Blaine being gone from his life lately, he had to admit that he'd even forgotten about rehearsals and he'd even showed up late for Warblers practice. Horrid way to show he was ok with Blaine's latest decisions!

The clothes were carefully folded and in the closet, the desk was clean and the bed was already made. Kurt grabbed his jacket in a hurry, because of the knocks on the door would not stop. _Cheer up, c'mon, you can't be late again, this is super-mega-extra-important and I am so gonna kill you if you screw up our perfect tunes_, he could imagine Wes would most probably say. Finally, Kurt took a deep breath and opened the door.

"I'm going, Wes, I'm go-" And then he stood there, door open, speechless.

Blaine was holding the doorframe and as frowning like he'd made yet another controversial decision. "Can we talk?"

It took Kurt a few seconds to register what the other boy had said, but the first thing his brain processed was the best excuse he could use. "We've got Warblers practice in ten…" He was so not ready to talk to Blaine. Especially when the guy seemed like after a lot of struggle, he'd decided to leave Dalton and move to Alaska.

"I'll be brief," Blaine insisted, his gaze still heavy on Kurt's –half plead half anger. "Please."

And that's how he got Kurt to mouth a little, "Ok," as if he had a spell on him. It was a bit embarrassing to know that even after everything Blaine had done, Kurt would still love him that much. Or maybe it was just utterly romantic.

He let the other boy in and Blaine close the door behind him. They stood there in without talking for a couple of seconds.

"Let's sit," Blaine muttered then, and they both sat on the bed. So far, if Blaine's face was any indication, this was not going to be a casual, friendly conversation.

Kurt watched Blaine fold his arms in discomfort, his eyes fixed on the carpet. He waited in silence, not wanting to disturb him. They still had eight minutes until practice.

"We'll be late, I know," Blaine suddenly said, finally looking at Kurt. He'd evidently caught him looking at his watch. "But I need to say this, Kurt... I'm sorry."

This was definitely not the way things were supposed to be, right?

Kurt stared at Blaine without a clue of what was going on. "What? I think I heard you say that…"

"That I'm sorry. Because I truly am."

"About what? If anyone should be sorry, it should be me," Kurt stated. "When we talked the last time, I was horrible to you. I should have put myself in your shoes and try to be helpful, not to yell at you for trying to figure out what you really want in life. You were right to walk away from me. Oh, and, um… you had a point when you compared me to… you know, Karofsky..."

"No, _no_. Actually, I was out of line, I…" Blaine rubbed the back of his head, blinking in a weird way a few times. He didn't blink like that except when he was nervous. "I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have told you all those things, compared you with that… I don't even think there's a name for someone who does that to a person." He took a deep breath. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you… If I ask for your opinion is because it matters a lot to me, you know? There is no one else I would talk to about it but you, so I should respect what you tell me, even if it comes from a different point of view. If I ask you to tell me what you think, I should listen at the very least, not storm out like a kid who doesn't get a cookie because it's still too hot."

Kurt smiled at the random image that came to his head, Blaine being a child and being denied a cookie. "I saw what happened at the Lima Bean afterwards. She kissed you. Did you feel the same way as you did at the party?" He thought that he should ask Blaine, even if he already knew the answer.

"I didn't," Blaine responded, blushing. "I guess I was wrong. I was not really attracted to Rachel."

"So you don't think you might like girls and boys?"

"No. I definitely like boys only."

Kurt smiled. "Very well, then. I respect you and support you any other way. Even if sometimes I lose my temper and it doesn't look like it, which I'm very sorry for."

"Kurt, stop apologizing."

"Then you stop doing it, too."

They laughed a bit, like things were less awkward that before. A weight had certainly been lifted off from Kurt's shoulders. It seemed that Blaine felt the same way.

"Are we even then?" Blaine said.

"Mmm…" Kurt put out his thoughtful face, then smiled again. "Yeah, I think so."

"Great, that's great… Then… um… should we go practice?"

Kurt watched his clock again and frowned. "Oh my God, there are two minutes left, we need to be there right now before Wes…"

The door opened without any previous warning, and Kurt could see a very confident, not pleased Wes standing in his doorway. He cocked an eyebrow and his lips tensed. "Oh, there you are _together_, my sweet, little rebellious friends, talking as if there was nothing you should worry about. Newsflash, here I am to put you back on track. Now get your asses to Warblers' practice _now_!"

Kurt grabbed his things and Blaine followed him out, both of them being escorted by Wes. Kurt only looked back once to see the expression in Wes' face, only to find him grinning. Yep, he definitely thought that whatever was going on between Blaine and Kurt was over and there therefore the Warblers and their legacy would remain intact.

Soon the three of them were in the usual practice room, where the other Warblers were talking about the songs that were to be rehearsed according to the schedule for Wednesdays. Wes clapped his hands to ask for silence and the sound of the students' voices stopped completely.

"All right, we're staring off with our third choice for our second number at Regionals," he said as everyone went to their places and Kurt sat on the couch. "From the top!"

The chorus of Warblers was so magnificently in sync.

_That's how much I love you  
>That's how much I need you<em>

Kurt gave a confident look at Blaine and with this, the latter started singing.

_And I can't stand you  
>Must everything you do make me wanna smile<br>Can I not like it for awhile_

_but you won't let me  
>You upset me girl, then you kiss my lips<br>All of a sudden I forget that I was upset  
>Can't remember what you did<br>_

He was smiling and dancing slowly around the room, mostly paying attention to what Kurt was doing, which was nice.

_(But I hate it)  
>You know exactly what to do<br>So that I can't stay mad at you  
>For too long, that's wrong<em>

_(But, I hate it)  
>You know exactly how to touch<br>So that I don't wanna fuss and fight no more  
>So I despise that I adore you<br>_

Blaine jumped on a chair and kept singing, looking right at Kurt. It felt weird but sweet to be watched that way.

_And I hate how much I love you boy  
>I can't stand how much I need you<br>And I hate how much I love you boy  
>But I just can't let you go<br>And I hate that I love you so…_

When Kurt least expected it, Blaine was already beside him on the couch, singing right to him, shameless of whatever the others might think.

_And you completely know the power that you have  
>The only one that makes me laugh<em>  
><em>Sad and it's not fair how you take advantage of the fact that I<br>Love you beyond the reason why  
>And it just ain't right<em>

That's when the song went right to the bridge and Blaine stood up, closing his eyes.

_One of these days maybe your magic won't affect me  
>And your kiss won't make me weak<br>But no one in this world knows me the way you know me  
>So you'll probably always have a spell on me<em>

The smile Blaine flashed left him completely speechless. Yes, Blaine had to be singing to him, or… not. Kurt had to mentally kick himself for thinking that Blaine had magically decided to reciprocate his feelings. Damn it, he already knew that wasn't going anywhere, and he hated being so vulnerable sometimes.

_And I hate how much I love you boy  
>I can't stand how much I need you<br>And I hate how much I love you boy  
>But I just can't let you go<br>And I hate that I love you so.._

One more chorus and the song found its end. Everyone congratulated Blaine and he was very humble about the compliments. Then Wes turned to the Warblers and announced, "Great job, guys! Check your lyrics, we start with the second choice for our first number in ten."

"Hey, that was awesome," Kurt told Blaine as the latter sat beside him again, still smiling. "We're definitely gonna win at Regionals."

"I just wish my singing would be more useful."

"Are you kidding me? You're really talented, Blaine. Your solos are breath-taking."

"They don't serve me well when it comes to showing someone that I love him," Blaine said, a little bit bitter.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Forget about Jeremiah! He can get lost."

"It's not so easy. After the Gap Attach, I'll never try to confess my feelings to anyone again. I think I'm officially incapable of pulling the romance card."

"Don't be foolish, and for the record, we shouldn't joke about that anymore," Kurt muttered, reaching out for Blaine. "You've got the moves, the voice, the personality." He gave him a warm smile as he arranged Blaine's jacket. "I think you're gonna do just fine."

Blaine didn't answer, but he smiled back sweetly and blushed, like Kurt had brought just a little bit of hope to his heart.


	2. You drew the line

**2**

**You drew the line**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, mention of OC.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: And… this is how Blaine starts to screw up.

*.*

**You drew the line**

"A medium drip for you…"

"… and a grande nonfat mocha for you."

"As usual."

On Thursday afternoon, Kurt and Blaine sat a table at the Lima Bean café, near the counter.

"You know, I have to admit it – beyond the general awkwardness of the moment, this feels nice," Kurt said, laughing. "We haven't done this in like…"

"Two days."

"Well, it seemed like forever."

"Yeah, definitely," Blaine commented, thinking that things felt really different now between him and Kurt somehow. He remembered the Valentine Day confession and he'd believe he was ok with them, but now, sharing a table and being suddenly aware of the fact that they new each other's coffee order, maybe this wasn't very healthy for either of them.

Kurt smiled widely and sipped his coffee. Then he carefully placed it on the table to stir it a bit more. "So, any news?" Anything exciting to tell?"

"I don't know…"

"Hey, it's ok. You can tell me anything," Kurt muttered, reassuring him. "Even if it's about other guys."

"Really? I thought you would be upset."

"I know what I said but I also remember our talk. You know, when I told you I thought you wanted to ask me out on Valentine's Day."

"Oh. That talk." Blaine really didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want Kurt to remember the implicit rejection. Blaine hoped he would drop the subject soon so they could move to happier topics of conversation.

"Don't worry about it, I understand." Kurt took a deep breath. "I put myself out there and told you what I thought our relationship –friendship, whatever- was turning into. However, I know now that I was wrong about my expectations."

Even if Kurt said it with confidence and like nothing important had really happened between them, Blaine felt like he still had to apologize and clear the air about the situation. "Kurt, I'm sorry about that. I told you… You're my friend. The last thing I want to do is hurt you…"

"You don't want to screw this up, blah, blah," Kurt said, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I got the message, loud and clear. I'm not and idiot, Blaine. I know when not to get my hopes high. Been there, done that. So what if I had a little crush on you? You're kind of a mentor to me, it was inevitable. I confessed, you drew the line. It's fine. Now can we both move on, please?"

Ok, so Blaine hadn't really seen that one coming. "I thought…"

"Blaine, you're not the only gay teen in the world. I'll meet my soulmate someday. It doesn't have to be you."

Blaine sensed that Kurt was just being honest and rational, but his words hit him like a bucket of cold water in the morning. Yeah, Blaine was definitely not the only person Kurt would like in his life, romantically speaking. There were better guys out there, and hell, Blaine only wanted them to be friends… but really? Was Blaine all that ditchable all of a sudden?

Kurt had a point, though. Blaine had drawn the line, right? Who on earth would chase the person who just said they don't want anything romantic with you?

"Seriously, it's fine. I'm happy that we talk about it and got it out of the way. Consider it case closed," Kurt continued. "Now, I'm more worried about what Mercedes mentioned last night on the phone about New Directions taking a new approach for Regionals."

Finally, they were moving on from the Valentine Day's Doom Day. Blaine took a deep breath, thankful for the tension being a bit gone. "What is it?"

"They're doing… sexy songs."

"Really? Well, that's a risk," Blaine commented. "I mean, not that they can't do sexy, they certainly can. I mean that it's more subjective, it all depends on the judge's preferences on sexiness. Some want more passion, some want more sweetness."

"Right… and the Warblers don't have any sexy numbers." Kurt intertwined his fingers and frowned as he stared at his coffee.

"Mmm. I think we're gonna have to do something about that."

"I know. I'm gonna need to practice my sexy faces. I suck at doing sexy."

There was no way that was true. "I doubt that. You're very confident when singing, this should be a piece of cake of you."

Laughing, Kurt looked at him a little know-it-all and crossed his arms. "Ha, Mr. Anderson, we all have our weaknesses. But I'm not going to let them affect my performance. I will rehearse my sexiness until I can match yours."

And they were back where they'd started, except that this time Blaine was holding his hand up like he had an objection to make. "Wait a minute. I don't have a boyfriend, remember? I might have a couple of dates but they ended up in nothing. I'm not that sexy, Kurt."

It really looked like Kurt didn't believe one word this time. "Yes, you are. I see how boys and girls look at you when we go out. Deal with it."

"Whatever," Blaine muttered, not wanting to discuss the subject about whether he was sexy enough or not to have someone really attracted to him. "Hey, why don't we practice together? I haven't sung a sexy song in ages, the Warblers are not very into that. Who knows, maybe we can help each other."

"I think that's a great idea. I'm free tomorrow afternoon, is that ok for you?"

"Sure. In the meantime, I'll present a change of the rehearsal plan to Wes and David. It's going to take at least a day to convince them to do sexy, but they'll go with it if they know what New Directions is doing."

"Well, if there's anyone who can change their minds, it is you," Kurt said, smiling, and he sipped his coffee again. Then, he lowered his gaze, as if he was asking for a secret. "So, tell me about him."

"About who?"

"The guy you like."

"I didn't say I had someone in my mind."

"But you do. We all do, all the time, even when we don't have a clue about it," Kurt explained wisely. With a spark in his eyes, he reached across the table and caressed Blaine's hand in a way that left him warm and happy. "I ask because I care about you. I really want you to find someone who you love and who can love you back. You deserve it."

In silence, Blaine decided whether it was not hurtful to talk about someone else to Kurt. Did he actually need to hear it from Blaine's mouth? Well, it was definitely better than hearing it from somebody else. Still, Blaine had a had time figuring out what he was going to say, until he found the perfect answer. "Um… ok, if you want to know, his name's Freddie. He's seventeen. He's been a friend of the family for years now. Our parents know each other from high school."

"What does he look like?"

"He's got blonde, short hair, green eyes… he's an artist. He's kind, generous and he has an ironic personality, which makes him funny, too." He couldn't help but smile when he remembered his friend because, yeah, Freddie had a weird character, but was a very nice person to have around.

"Nice," Kurt muttered with eyes wide open. "Do you think he likes you back?"

"I don't know. I haven't asked him. I haven't even sent out any 'signals' yet, so I have no idea if he would respond."

"Where is he now? Does he go to school near by?"

"Actually, he's been living in Italy for the last couple of months. He's been very into Da Vinci."

It looked like Kurt was about to faint. "Wow, and he travels!" he sighed dreamily. "Seriously, Blaine. What are you waiting for? The guy sounds like a catch. You need to try to show him that you care about him, at the very least."

It was amazingly amusing to see Kurt so excited about Blaine having a prospective boyfriend. "Maybe I'll do it soon. He's coming back for a short visit since his uncle lives next door. I'm supposed to meet him on Friday night."

"That's perfect!"

"Yeah. We're gonna grab dinner together at eight, maybe catch a movie later."

Kurt clapped his hands, excited. "So it's a date!"

"No, it's not a date. We're just friends."

Nonchalant, Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't matter. You could change that any minute if you wanted to and he'd totally go along with it if he liked you." Kurt's eyes narrowed. "Have you decided what you're going to wear?"

"Not yet, because like I said, it's not a date," Blaine insisted. "Plus, it's not that important."

"Yes, it is. C'mon, I can help you pick something from a really good store on Friday before you meet him."

Blaine was definitely not the fashion-model type and he hated doing shopping. He pretty much lived in his Dalton uniform for almost the entire year and barely went out to buy clothes. "But…"

"No 'buts'…"

"Ok, fine. You can help me," Blaine responded, rubbing his thighs. "But promise me I won't look like some sort of wet model lying on a sheet from the Fashion Channel. Not that I'm complaining about those photo shoots 'cause they're sexy and I enjoy watching them, but that's just not my style."

Kurt raised his hand. "Ah, don't worry. My goal is to take the natural fashion hotness in you to the next level. Then, what you do while being wet on a sheet is entirely up to you and your friend once you have him smitten," Kurt blurted with the type of confidence Blaine loved. He started picking up his things and he also grabbed his coffee. "I gotta go, I've got a little test tomorrow morning. So, Friday at three?" he said, getting up with his coffee.

"Definitely… Wait. Why at three? I'm meeting him is at eight pm."

"Yeah, you said that. You're right, we're gonna need more time if we want to make a real impression on this Freddie guy. Please try and clean your schedule for the whole afternoon, ok? See you soon!"

Blaine sit up and reached for him before he went away. "But…"

"I said no 'buts'!" Kurt exclaimed, already heading for the door, leaving Blaine afraid, confused and wondering why the hell he'd got himself into something he would definitely regret.


	3. Spectacularly Dateable

**3**

**Spectacularly Dateable**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OC.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: Here we meet mystery guy Freddie, the friend Blaine wants to date.

*.*

**Spectacularly Dateable**

Kurt sucked at being sexy and he knew it.

Confident, yes, that he could do. Attractive, hot… not so much. Now that he walked down the corridors of Dalton Academy on Friday afternoon, he was happy that he'd had his History exam before the Sexy Face Incident that he would never forget.

At three o'clock, Blaine had showed up at his door, happy to see him, and they'd started rehearsing their sexy faces. Of course, Blaine was absolutely believable and he would knock anyone's socks off just from watching him smile, but Kurt did not know that his mind would go there and compare their sexy skills.

That's how the horrible scene had taken place. Kurt couldn't even try and pose for Blaine. How was he supposed to sing a hot song when he couldn't even pull out a sultry face?

"I don't know how to be sexy because I don't know the first thing about sex," he'd suddenly blurted, like he was confessing a deadly sin. Then he'd mentioned that he'd watched_ those_ movies. _Yay, I just mentioned porn to Blaine, who I am supposed to forget about, way to go!_ It'd all ended up with Kurt asking Blaine to leave, most probably cancelling their plans for the rest of the day.

Boy, had Kurt been very blunt to imply_, Yes, I don't know anything about sex, but even if you offer advice and you try to comfort me, I will push you away_. That had been the perfect thing to say, especially if he wanted to impress Blaine.

But wait. Did he still want to impress him? Definitely. Should he, could he? Mmm. What about rationalizing the latest events and calling them exactly what they were?

He'd told Blaine that he liked him.

Blaine had made it clear he wasn't interested.

Kurt had to convince himself that it was ok and slowly, he'd learned to believe it.

If he was all right with hanging out with Blaine again strictly as friends and to listen about his future boyfriends, then Kurt had to learn not to care about whether he looked sexy or not to Blaine's eyes.

If Kurt was not boyfriend material for Blaine, then it didn't matter if he sucked at being sexy or knowing about sex.

The realization hit Kurt like a bus and he stopped in his tracks, slapping himself mentally for being mad at Blaine. They could talk about anything as friends, right?

_Boyfriend. Sex. Blaine… Friends. Ugh._ He sighed and walked steadily until he found Blaine's door. He knocked on it and stood very still, waiting for Blaine to be disappointed at him. Instead, Blaine opened his door and flashed a smile, inviting him in.

He was getting ready to go somewhere, although Kurt couldn't figure out where, since his date with Freddie was at eight. He was wondering what was going on when Blaine said, "Hey… I was going to go out there looking of you. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier."

"It's ok, intimacy is just something I gotta deal with," Kurt muttered, feeling a bit more at ease now that they had cleared the air quickly about the issue. "So, are we going shopping?"

"I thought you wouldn't…"

"C'mon, pick up your stuff and let's go."

"Great," Blaine said, excited as he grabbed his jacket and his wallet from the bed.

*.*

"What about that one?"

"No."

"That one?"

"No…"

"Blaine."

"But look at him!" Blaine said, stopping in front of the next store and staring at the model in the big pictures in the high couture area. "Low-ride jeans, barefoot, a tiny, little t-shirt, sunglasses and too much gel. He's a wet model. I told you - please, don't turn me into that. Hot in fantasy, kind of ridiculous in real life."

"Don't worry, I won't cross that line, but just in case, I want you to know that it wouldn't be very hard to do it. You already have the gel."

Blaine rolled his eyes and then shook his head. "Funny. You make me feel so relieved."

"C'mon, we're here to try and impress Freddie, right?"

"Huh?" Blaine said, frowning, "Ah, yeah. Remind me of that, will you?"

"Sure," Kurt pointed at the store at the end of the street, "Let's get in there. They have exactly what we need."

As soon as Blaine had one foot on the best, most fabulous store Kurt could think of, it was obvious that the Blaine makeover was going to be some sort of mission impossible, even if the guy was easy on the eyes. First he didn't know what to pick, then he criticized the clothes –_who would wear that, life's not a tv show, etc_- and after that he tried to abort the entire operation.

Tired of hearing him complain, Kurt left the last jacket he'd taken where it used to be. "Blaine, this is not working."

"Yeah, because they don't have anything that I can wear here."

"No, it's because you're not helping! You're only being negative!" Kurt said, maybe a little too loud, but damn, he was annoyed by the situation.

Blaine stared at him blankly. "You're bossy."

"Well, Tim Gunn is one of my role models and he's as bossy as he's awesome." As Blaine simply looked around again like he didn't know what the hell he was doing there anymore, Kurt started grabbing every single piece of apparel he could find near him that would suit Blaine. "I'm done with dealing with you. You're going to do what I say without any excuses, do you understand me? Now get in there and don't come out until you look spectacularly dateable," he ordered, beckoning the dressing rooms.

"But this is not…"

"Do I really have to tell you to make it work?"

With a sigh, Blaine went through the clothes Kurt had grabbed. "For real? How am I supposed to pick up something from all of this? It's just so much."

"Blaine!"

"You know, I always suspected it, but now it's official – I also suck at this," Blaine added.

"Everyone can learn how to dress properly."

"What is that supposed to mean? I don't dress properly enough for you?"

Wow, the boy had taken that comment as an offensive one, but Kurt wasn't going to play the game and get distracted from their mission. "Yeah, you do... for every day encounters with friends, not to woo your family's friend who you're trying to date."

Blaine made a face and took a breath, clearly not happy that Kurt was right. "Fine, you might have a point."

"Of course I do," Kurt said, handing the clothes to Blaine. "Ok, let's start with the green shirt and the jeans. We'll try everything until we assemble the perfect outfit."

"Awesome," Blaine muttered between greeted teeth, and he entered the dressing room with the pile of beautiful clothes, closing the curtain behind him.

While Blaine was in there, Kurt was busy working on accessories. Shoes, that was a key element to complete the outfit, but then again they had to pick the clothes before they could move on to them. There was always the issue of the right watch, because guys with nice watches were hot. Oh, and also a scarf, if possible, just for the sake of it.

The first outfit turned out to be kind of boring and it didn't represent the idea of Blaine Kurt had, so they continued with their second choice.

"Ok, I'm ready," Blaine said from behind the curtain, and when he came out, Kurt had the strong feeling that he needed to be more original.

"No," he immediately pointed out at the dark blue sport jacket, the dark blue pants, the light blue shirt and the tie.

Blaine didn't seem to be very amused either. "I know. Isn't this too…?"

"Too Dalton?"

"Yeah."

Getting closer, Kurt let Blaine's tie loose. "Definitely. Boys in uniforms might be a fantasy for many gay guys, but we need to challenge ourselves and think outside the box a little."

"Right… So what about this shirt?" Blaine asked, picking a random one from a pile beside a mannequin.

"Yellow?"

"Yep."

Kurt simply folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

Blaine's smile faded from his face. "Ok, maybe not." He dropped the yellow shirt and turned to the dressing room again. "I'm going in there again."

"Good idea. I'll be right here if you need me."

An hour and a half later, things were starting to get better. They've already tried everything from the store that seemed to fit Blaine, and now they were looking at the two outfits they've ended up with. There was no time to pick up a new watch, and Blaine was not fond of scarves that much.

"I think the red shirt's the one, with the grey pants and the brown shoes," Kurt commented.

"I agree. It looked natural, but good."

"And sexy. Don't forget that."

As Kurt put the other outfit aside and took a last look at the chosen one, Blaine came closer and placed his hand softly on the other boy's shoulder. "Look, Kurt… I'm really grateful for what you did, and I know that it sucked for you to listen to me rant for hours. I appreciate it so much."

"Don't mention it. What are friends for?" Saying that hurt, but Kurt swallowed his pride and his attraction for Blaine and started folding the clothes.

"You know what? I'm gonna go and change one more time. After trying on so many shirts and pants, I might take something home with me, even if it's for casual events."

"Mostly black and blue, right?" Kurt joked. "With a bit of red?"

The joke was welcome. "I guess I'm hopeless, but I still believe that for every day life, you don't need to look hot all the time."

Maybe Blaine had a point, but then again, he looked hot all the time whatever he wore, so that wasn't a problem. Kurt made the numbers and waited for Blaine to join him so they could go to the register. He turned to the dressing room as he heard the curtains of the dressing room open again. "Blaine, it's seven thirty, we gotta go. I don't think you want to leave Freddie waiti… _Oh_."

"Oh?" Blaine looked terrified in the last outfit he'd picked on his own. "Is this a fashion crime? Is it worse than the yellow shirt? Am I going to get shot at for this?"

Kurt chose his words carefully. "Um… Actually, no. That's a… a very nice outfit." He walked around Blaine, scanning the look thoroughly. "A beautiful black, fitted t-shirt that clings in all the right places, showing that you have muscles where your Dalton uniform does not allow the sun to shine," he muttered, and Blaine frowned, skeptical. "Black, tight, rotten jeans, which also makes you a bit of a rebel and shows off your ass…"

"It shows off my…?" Blaine repeated in shock. "I want him to look at me, but not _that_ way. At least not yet. Isn't this too much?"

"Trust me, it's… it's perfect. And black leather boots! I am amazed."

"Do I really look that good?"

"Yeah. And you did it all by yourself. I'm proud of you."

With that, Blaine's tension seemed to fade away. "Thank you. I am pretty amazed myself. Who knows, maybe I have a hidden talent that turns me into the new best dressed guy around," he said playfully.

"Don't push it," Kurt said, not amused at the comment. "We can ditch the other stuff. This is the one, period."

"Thank you again. I couldn't have done it without you."

"I know, but like I said, we gotta go!" Kurt pushed Blaine around. "Hurry up, there's a potential boyfriend waiting for you!"

*.*

"You're gonna be late," Kurt said for the billionth time as they headed towards Dalton's entrance. "I don't get it. Why do you insist in coming back here?"

"Because I have a jacket that I'd like to wear. You would never go out in this one, it doesn't match the rest of the outfit. You know, I'm trying to learn something about fashion, so I'm following your advice," Blaine responded, smiling.

"But… you're gonna miss your date! You can't do that. I can't allow that."

"We still have plenty of time, you'll see…" Blaine was about to get theorugh the main doors when someone called his name.

"Blaine, there you are!"

Blaine stopped in his tracks and turned to his left at the second to find a blond, well-dressed boy in a white shirt and jeans. "Freddie, you're here! What's up? I thought we were meeting at our usual café."

"Yeah, but I got here early, so I thought I'd surprise you." Freddie seemed to have noticed Kurt all of a sudden. "Sorry, am I interrupting something? 'Cause we can reschedule."

"Oh no, no. Not at all," Kurt immediately clarified, going to join them. He might be in love with Blaine but he would never ruin his dates. Plus, Freddie was fine. He wasn't the best looking guy in the world, but he had a charisma you could notice from miles away, without him saying a word.

"How are you?" Blaine asked hi.

"Fresh as a cucumber, if I may say," Freddie responded, smiling. "So, are you going to introduce us?"

"Sure. This is Kurt," Blaine said, stepping aside so that Freddie could shake Kurt's hand in a gesture that seemed natural to him, although it wasn't for the other boy. "Kurt, this is my friend Freddie, as you can imagine."

Freddie frowned. "Your friend Freddie. Freddie, your friend. Sounds like a tongue twister."

"How was your flight?" Blaine continued, putting his hands on the back pockets of his jeans.

"Boring."

Kurt cocked his head to the side. "I guess you travel a lot, huh?"

"Not that much, but enough to cultivate my mind in exotic places whenever I can. And listen to endless rock bands while I sleep in the plane. Have you heard of a band called Mediocrity?"

That question seemed to come out of nowhere, but it wasn't strange that Blaine's friend knew about music. "Not that I remember."

Freddie smiled widely with excitement. "Then you've got yourself a new CD. And don't let them fool you by the band's name, they're awesome."

"Thank you, but you don't have to do that."

"Why not? You're Blaine's friend, I'm his friend too, and you look like you can be trusted. I'm good at judging people. I can read your mind, remember that." After his smart-ass comment, Freddie waited patiently like he was hoping for a reaction. Kurt nodded, trying to be polite since he didn't know the guy much, but Blaine remained silent. Freddie seemed to notice that too, since he turned to him with a worried look on his face. "Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"You haven't said a word for an entire minute. Not even at my mind reader comment, which you never miss."

Blaine acted awkward and uncomfortable, like something was off. "What, can't I just listen?"

Freddie frowned again and it seemed like he was about to ask something, but he restrained himself. Instead, he turned to Kurt. "All right, Kurt, it's been great to meet you. You can be sure Blaine will hand you that CD if I don't see you around."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. Have a great evening!"

Kurt turned around and tried to control his urge to look back. Spying on them while being on a date was wrong, and considering the situation, totally unhealthy. Yet, once he passed one of the trees near the entrance, he had to take a peek, just to see if his mission impossible had been successful at impressing Blaine's friend.

Freddie was still frowning and Blaine kept shaking his head, like they were about to get into a fight. It seemed like Blaine's date wouldn't go as great as he'd thought.

Kurt just hoped Freddie could see as much awesomeness in Blaine as he did.


	4. Two Choices

**4**

**Two Choices**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OC.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: I have a love/hate relationship with Blaine's perfection. I think he doesn't know what he really wants.

Thanks: Thank you for the lovely reviews!

*.*

**Two Choices**

Blaine felt like he was frozen from the very moment Kurt started to interact with Freddie. He knew that nothing good could come out of it. They could talk about Freddie's trips, about Kurt's knowledge of music, about whatever they wanted, even Freddie's mind reader ability, but not about deeper issues, or Blaine would be the one to loose. He listened to their light conversation looking for red lights and was grateful that Freddie had seen his nervousness and just called the meeting off.

"Have a great evening!" said Kurt before walking away, leaving Freddie and Blaine at the Dalton main entrance.

"Um, Blaine, what was that all about? You looked like you were about to drop dead right here."

"I'm fine."

Freddie gave him the you-are-talking-bullshit look. "Really? You're gonna do this to me now when you are supposed to explain me what's going on so that I can help you?"

"Freddie, nothing's going on. He's just a friend."

"Yeah. A friend, right. Except that he's totally into you."

"What?"

"You're going to tell me that you didn't know? And he thinks that I'm your boyfriend or something. He clearly assumed we had a date."

"Stop."

"Blaine."

"I don't want to talk about it," Blaine walked away from him, hoping Freddie would get lost, but he knew that Freddie was following him. "Freddie, I mean it. Leave me alone."

"I'm not gonna leave you alone when I just travelled all the way back from Italy to see my friend, who's in deep trouble!" Freddie yelled at him, causing a couple of Dalton students to stare at them.

He had a point, though. Blaine could not simply ditch him like that. He turned to him and said, "Fine, I'll talk… but not here." He closed his eyes. "Where's your car?"

Freddie looked worried when he showed him the keys. "Around the corner, let's go."

If there was something Blaine appreciated was the way Freddie was able to understand that sometimes he needed to be away from the world to open up. He sat at the passenger's seat and saw his friend hit the gas. Soon they were in a mostly empty corner near a bar and Freddie was turning off the engine.

"We're alone now. You can talk to me. What's happening with Kurt? Are you guys… boyfriends or something?"

"No, no, there's none of that," Blaine clarified. "But you were right. He does like me."

"See? It's not hard to see. Anyone would notice."

"Except me," Blaine said, a little bit sad now. "I had no idea until he told me that he would have gone out on a date with me on Valentine's Day."

"Wow, wait. He told you that he liked you, romantically speaking?"

"Yes, he made it pretty obvious. I made it clear that I don't want to screw up our friendship."

"What the _hell_?" Freddie yelled, grabbing the steering wheel with much more energy than he should. "You didn't reciprocate? Where's the Blaine I know?"

"I'm here, Freddie, I'm right here."

"Doesn't look like it. I've seen how impulsive you are when it comes to the guys you like. You've dated the people that you wanted to date because you went for it."

That was technically inaccurate according to Blaine's memories. "None of those dates turned into what I wanted, all of them were a disaster."

"So what? This is all about learning! So what is it? You don't like Kurt back?"

Blaine spoke through greeted teeth. "Yes, that's exactly it."

"You know, I'd try to be understanding, but just from the way you said that –and I am not even Kurt - I feel offended. The guy looks great, he seems to be very nice and confident, and you don't factor that in as an indication that he might be the one for you?"

"No, no. It's not that. What I said before came out wrong," Blaine muttered, mad at himself for being so cold when talking about his feelings for Kurt. "He is everything you said he is – warm, nice, really good looking… But he's my friend, and I'm sort of his mentor."

"Are you honestly going to tell me that you've never _ever_ thought about him as more than that? And Blaine, don't lie to me or I'll tell everyone about the indecent song you sing in the shower on Sunday mornings."

Damn it, Freddie had an ace up his sleeve. Blaine's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, yes. I would. I had to listen to it for two months during that summer. I could have lived without it."

They stared at each other like children waiting for the outcome of their first candy bet. "Okay, okay, no lies," Blaine said, folding his arms. "Yes, I have thought about what it would be like to have Kurt as a boyfriend."

"Sweet," Freddie whispered, winking at him.

Blaine decided to ignore him. "I met Kurt on his first day at Dalton. I think I was the first student to talk to him. I grabbed his hand and walked him through the corridors… He fell in love with the Warblers and he got in without anyone's help. We started spending more time together because he didn't know any guy that was out, like me. I liked him as a friend, nothing more, but it came a moment, after singing 'Baby, it's cold outside' together when I realized that I may have started… feeling something."

"Yes!"

"No, I was feeling guilt. I saw the way he looked at me during the song. I'm supposed to be his mentor, the person who helps him figure out stuff. It's not in my place to fall for him and impose myself as his first boyfriend."

Freddie hit the steering wheel. "C'mon, man! You were doing so well until you screw up the story with your guilt clarification."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Freddie, but that's the way it is. I don't want Kurt to feel like I'm some pervert who's trying to take advantage of him. There are lots of them out there, he'll have to deal with them someday, but he doesn't deserve that. Not now… not ever."

"Blaine, you're the most caring person I know. No one would ever think you're a pervert. And if they do, you can be sure Wes, David and I will kick their ass… outside Dalton, of course."

"Thanks, Freddie."

"You're welcome. I did learn something from the two years I spent there," Freddie muttered, rubbing his chin. "Still, Kurt chose you. He told you that he would date you. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that he doesn't know what other options he has. He hasn't met any other gay guys that I know of. Maybe the perfect person for him is waiting out there and he's too busy with me to notice. Kurt is aware of that, you know?" Blaine commented, remembering the talk he'd had with Kurt at the coffee shop. "Yesterday he told me that he'll meet his soulmate someday and that it didn't have to be me."

"Of course he'd say that. You rejected him. It's self-preservation, even if he still wants to be your friend."

"And that's why I will protect him."

"But why did you go shopping with him today? If you say that you don't like him, you're leading him on. Plus, you hate buying clothes."

"What, I can't buy anything new now? It's not weird." It was weird that he'd told Kurt that he wanted to impress Freddie, though. Blaine wasn't sure why he'd said that he'd like to date him, but it'd provided him an excuse to see Kurt that afternoon for a completely innocent, friendly activity that had nothing to do with unrequited feelings.

"Whatever, this is useless," Freddie said. "Grow some balls, you need them."

"Ouch. That was harsh, even for you."

"Tough love is still love, Blaine," Freddie said, acting more relaxed now, like he'd given up the fight.

They stood there, in silence except for the music coming from the bar. Tough love, that Freddie could do easily. Why was he trying to make Blaine admit that he liked Kurt?

It'd be a bad idea anyway. Even if Blaine liked him, Kurt wanted romance, right? He wanted little details like the touch of the fingertips. Blaine sucked at it, he was sure he'd ruin something as simple as that.

"So, how's Paula?" he asked, moving onto happier topics of conversation that didn't involve him and Kurt.

"She's fine. It's almost our fifth month together."

"You keep count, that's interesting. You only do that when the girl's too special."

"She is. Smart, beautiful, keeps up with my bullshit. She loves me, I love her. It's perfect," Freddie sighed dreamily until his eyes darkened. "I'm waiting for the moment for all of it to go to hell. I bet it's gonna be soon. It always is."

Blaine placed a hand on Freddie's shoulder, trying to be supportive. "Freddie, give yourself a break, c'mon. You're not that bad."

"The fact that I'm allergic to commitment isn't that bad? Are you kidding me?"

Shrugging, Blaine explained, "It's better than having all guys being allergic at you when it comes to romance."

"Kurt isn't," Freddie said, smiling slightly.

Blaine dropped his hand from Freddie and shook his head. "Would you just stop it, damn it?"

"Would you stop pretending like everything's ok between you and him? He can't be happy to see you with somebody else –for instance me, whatever- if he still likes you. And you can't seriously tell me that you're fine knowing that you don't reciprocate his feelings but still having him around."

This was something that Blaine didn't want to hear, but Freddie was always there to offer him the cold truth. "What do you suggest that I do?"

"The way I see it, you have two choices. But first, you figure out whatever it is that you want from him –friendship, a relationship."

"But I already told you, I don't…"

"Just give it some thought, it can't hurt. You never know, you might discover that you like him that way, no matter what you say now," Freddie said with a grin.

"Fine. Suppose that I do that. What's option number one?"

"Option number one is accepting that you're in love with him and acting on those feelings."

"What's option number two?"

The smile disappeared from Freddie's face. "You don't love him, and you just shut that door. For everything, even friendship."

"I couldn't do that to Kurt."

"I'm serious, Blaine. You'd be doing him a favor. I can tell by experience that it's a lot better than imagining things that are only in your head."

Taking a deep breath, Blaine wondered why things had to be so complicated. His talk with Freddie was supposed to help him out vent and figure out what he was going to do, not the other way around. "Thanks, Freddie. I'm so confused right now."

"Right, like you weren't confused before! You better fix that soon," Freddie said, looking at the stars. "I'm telling you, man. If you let that bird fly too far away, caging it again will be a horrible experience for you both."


	5. Keep your head together

**5**

**Keep your head together**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, Wes, David, mention of OC.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Summary: Blaine is confused but he certainly wants Kurt to remain close to him. In the meantime, Kurt tries to show him that they will always be friends.

Author's note: Hope I didn't make any mistakes. If I did, please feel free to point them out. :)

*.*

**Keep your head t****ogether**

Had Blaine's date been romantic? No. Had it been at least enjoyable? It would have been, except for the fact that it hadn't been a date and that he and Freddie had mostly talked about Kurt.

The official version? He'd had a blast! Blaine had enjoyed every second of his date, even if it'd been a fake one. He'd talked about music, life and memories with Freddie. Freddie had been charming and natural and they would be seeing each other again for lunch on Saturday.

Even if it'd been a fake date, no one would know. At least not over Blaine's dead body, and especially after Freddie had knocked some sense into him. Now Blaine had to decide whether he liked Kurt as more than friends or not, even if that could mean breaking the promises he'd made to himself and Kurt. He was hoping that the sudden revelation of his real feelings for him wouldn't ruin their friendship. At least not permanently.

As he brushed his teeth early in the morning, Blaine tried to figure out why he'd lied to Kurt. He didn't need to come up with a story about being in love with Freddie and wanting to go out with him. Freddie was straight as an arrow and a great friend and didn't deserve to be involved in that mess, especially after coming back from Europe to see Blaine. Still, Blaine always screwed up when it came to his potential boyfriends.

And damn, Kurt was not his boyfriend. Blaine didn't even know if he would ever be. Hell, he didn't know if he wanted to be with Kurt in the first place.

Questions kept haunting him during breakfast as he picked his food – cereal and milk turned out to the obvious choice after spending at least a minute staring at the multiples options he had and being yelled at for it by the next person in line. Blaine took a deep breath, sat alone at a table and wondered once again how the hell he was going to keep up the lie without disappointing both Kurt and Freddie.

"Morning," greeted Kurt all of a sudden with a cup of coffee in his hand, taking a seat at the other side of the table. He looked fresh and new and he definitely smelled good.

Blaine erased that thought from his head and concentrated on addressing completely standard morning issues. "Hey, good morning," he said with a smile. "Did you get a good night sleep?" he asked, saving time to revise the official version of his date in his head.

"Yeah, I did. I really needed to sleep, my History test was a nightmare. I took a walk and went back to the commons after leaving you guys," Kurt explained, and he leaned on the table has if was about to share a secret. "So, tell me all about your date."

Chocking on his cereal, Blaine realized that Kurt was going a little bit too fast for a Saturday morning. He hoped they would only talk about the date thing after their regular conversation about the fact that they had Warblers practice in minutes and Wes would be looking for them soon. "I…" he started, but his cell phone rang and he immediately took the call, grateful that someone had interrupted the awkward situation.

"Hey, Blaine, what's up?"

"Josh?" asked Blaine, and he couldn't help but smile at the sound of Josh's voice. "I'm all right, but what's with the smooth attitude? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

"I guess it's the street talking," Josh responded. "Just wanted you to know that this brother of yours –well, the only one you've got- is gonna hit home tonight. And no, I won't be on duty. Talked to my superiors about it."

Blaine couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Wow. After a year, you're back. For an entire weekend."

"Well, more for like a day, but it's something, right?"

"Still… wow."

Josh laughed at the other side of the line. "You know, you can say something other than that."

"Fine," Blaine rolled his eyes. "What time will you be home?"

"At six, hopefully."

"Does Mom know?"

"No, but I'm about to phone her. Please don't ruin the surprise."

"No problem. She always says that she hasn't seen you in ages."

"She might be right. It feels like years ago that I saw her for the last time, and the same goes for you, little brother."

"I know… See you soon, then!"

"Great, bye!" Blaine hung up feeling like he was flying. He could vividly remember the moment his brother had walked away from the house. He could almost hear her mother crying at the door at the idea of the job Josh would take and what it might bring to his life.

"You sounded excited," Kurt said and he sipped his coffee.

"I am! That was my brother. He's coming to town tonight. He's been away for a year at least. Boston PD."

Kurt frowned, leaving his coffee on the table. "Really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know, I just never thought... First, I didn't know you had a brother. And second, he's a cop? Just… unexpected. I thought you were kind of rich."

Ok, that was a bit of an overstatement. Blaine raised a hand, shocked by the idea Kurt had of what his life was like. "What? No. No, I'm definitely not rich. Why would you think that?"

"Dalton," Kurt explained, beckoning their surroundings. "It's an exclusive place, right? And it's expensive."

"You're here and you're not a millionaire."

"Mmm. Good point."

"Anyway, I'm not poor, but I don't have much money either. My dad travels a lot. He took a job as a sales representative for a big company a few years ago and since then he sends money back home. We use some of it to pay for school."

"Does he visit you often?"

"Not really. He and my mom separated a couple of months ago, but he didn't come by before that anyway."

Kurt immediately seemed sad. "I'm sorry."

"Don't say that. It's not your fault and I got used to it eventually," Blaine said nonchalantly although the idea of his father being away made him a bit angry. "Josh is gonna tell my Mom, and she's definitely throwing a party. It's a big event for us. There's no way she's not inviting the neighbors and some relatives."

"First Freddie and now your brother, I think it's really awesome. I wish I had someone coming over too," Kurt said, sighing dreamily. "Hey, why don't you sing for Josh tonight? Wouldn't it be nice for him to get to listen to you, to see this part of your life? You said that you haven't seen him a long time."

Blaine's mind went blank to the thought of what it would be like to show his brother the life he had at Dalton, so far away from the bullying he's gone through at his previous school. "Mmm… I think it's a wonderful idea. Thank you, Kurt."

"You're very welcome." Kurt shifted in his seat. "You still haven't told me about your date. Was it good?"

"Huh?" And that's how they were talking about Freddie and about how good Blaine had been at seducing him last night. When he was about to answer, Blaine's cell phone vibrated with a new message that has just arrived. His lips tensed when he saw what it said, wondering what was the hidden meaning of it.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Freddie. He's not meeting me for lunch today, he's busy." Blaine left his cell phone on the table and focused on his cereal again. "Weird. He's up to something. Last night was ok but he left early. He said he had stuff to do at the hotel." There was a long silence until Blaine raised his gaze, worried that Kurt hadn't said one word for an entire minute. "What's up with you?"

"I didn't ruin it, right?" Kurt frowned.

"Ruin what?"

"Your date, Blaine, your date! Where's your head?" Kurt sweetly punched Blaine's forehead. "I hope he doesn't think I'm your boyfriend or something. He seemed to believe he'd interrupted our own date yesterday. Did you make it clear that we're just friends?"

"Yeah. The issue kind of raised," Blaine commented, thinking about the irony of his answer. "Everything's ok between us, don't worry."

Kurt seemed relieved. "I'm glad, because when I left you two seemed to be fighting."

"We weren't."

"Ok," Kurt muttered, and he didn't seem convinced at all. Blaine had blurted the answer just a little bit too harshly, like he was offended, but that was not his intention at all.

"I mean… That came out wrong. I mean that it's fine. No big deal."

"I'm still sorry."

Blaine laughed. "Hadn't we stopped apologizing?"

"Sorry again?" Kurt said, smiling and lifting his shoulders. "I just… I really wanted you to have your date." He took a deep breath. "I'm here if you ever need to talk about it… about Freddie not coming for lunch or about you being sad or happy because of whatever he said to you. I want you to be able to talk to me about anything and everything."

It was amazing how sweet Kurt could be. Blaine thanked him from the bottom of his heart. "I'll keep that in mind, I appreciate it..." They smiled to each other and Blaine was pretty much out of words, until…

"You two! Warblers practice, _now_!" There he was, Wes again, walking towards them like a tornado and threatening to grab them by their ears.

Blaine shook his head. "Does he ever get tired of…?"

"No, but I asked him to check on me anyway," Kurt clarified, although he wasn't having any fun being harassed by Wes at this stage.

"Right," Blaine muttered, and they both got up and followed Wes towards the practice room.

It was matter of time for the Warblers to get to their places in the couches and for Wes to hit the gavel.

"Order, order!" he claimed, and the sounds of the whispers of the students stopped. "Very well, I see that everyone remembers that attendance is a top priority at the moment. Our eighty seventh meeting has arrived. Today it is expected for us to start practicing the first set of backup songs for our third number at Regionals. As for the topic of such songs, all of our options have something in common – they are designed to defeat New Directions. We have some exclusive information. Warbler Kurt and Warbler Blaine have brought to the table that the numbers to be performed by our rivals are those of a sexual nature." Some Warblers smiled; Blaine knew it was because it was funny to watch and hear Wes talk about sexy stuff in such an unsexy, matter-of-fact way. "So, Warblers, we are going to go over the lyrics first…"

"Can I ask something before we start, please?" Kurt suddenly said, raising his hand really high.

"Yes, Warbler Kurt?"

"I would like to sing a song today before we do our regular rehearsal, although it would not be a part of it. I do realize that it is not in the schedule but it would mean a lot to me to be able to express how I feel about a certain issue a friend is going through. We used to do it all the time when I was a member of New Directions."

Wes seemed confused. "I am sorry, Kurt, but you said it yourself – it is not part of the schedule. Regionals are around the corner and the Warblers can not afford…"

"C'mon, let's hear him sing," David said, elbowing Wes, who didn't laugh at all. They exchanged looks and finally Wes rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he muttered. "We can label it as backup rehearsal if everyone agrees." Every Warbler raised his hand in agreement and Wes hit the gable although he didn't seem very convinced. "Proposal accepted. Please, go ahead, Kurt."

Kurt slowly got up and stood in front of the others, taking his time to start the song. No Warbler followed the song until Kurt's lips parted and his beautiful voice filled the room.

_When you're down and troubled__  
><em>_And you need some loving care__  
><em>_And nothing, nothing is going right__  
><em>_Close your eyes and think of me__  
><em>_And soon I will be there__  
><em>_To brighten up even your darkest night_

His gaze landed on Blaine's and it remained there.

_You just call out my name__  
><em>_And you know wherever I am__  
><em>_I'll come running to see you again__  
><em>_Winter, spring, summer or fall__  
><em>_All you have to do is call__  
><em>_And I'll be there__  
><em>_You've got a friend_

The Warblers sang the music while Kurt went to the second verse.

_If the sky above you__  
><em>_Grows dark and full of clouds__  
><em>_And that old north wind begins to blow__  
><em>_Keep your head together__  
><em>_And call my name out loud__  
><em>_Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door__  
><em>

Kurt walked around with his hands clasped behind his back.

_Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend__  
><em>_When people can be so cold__  
><em>_They'll hurt you, and desert you__  
><em>_And take your soul if you let them__  
><em>_Oh, but don't you let them__  
><em>

And finally, he stood almost in front of Blaine, looking at him again, and smiling.

_You just call out my name__  
><em>_And you know wherever I am__  
><em>_I'll come running to see you again__  
><em>_Winter, spring, summer or fall__  
><em>_All you have to do is call__  
><em>_And I'll be there__  
><em>_You've got a friend_

The song ended with some Warblers smiling and looking at each other, and Blaine just knew that they were going to tease him and Kurt about it for ages. And damn it, it wasn't even a love song! It was about friendship! Talk about things being weird and confusing.

"I gotta say - very well done, Kurt. Very well done," David congratulated him, and even Wes' faced seemed a bit pleased when the song was finished, like he'd enjoyed the show. Blaine could swear he had seen him sing part of it, too.

"Ok, Warblers, now it's time to revise our third number options. Here you will find the sheets with the lyrics, please step forward and grab one so that we can start," Wes commanded, and the students got up to get their lyrics and discuss them together.

When Kurt went to grab his, Blaine followed him. They were the last ones in line since the other Warblers were already talking about the new songs.

Blaine touched Kurt's arm to get his attention. "That was… that was beautiful, Kurt."

"I just wanted to let you know that I will always have your back, whatever happens," Kurt muttered. "I told you, I'm here for you."

It'd been a long time since someone had expressed their feelings for Blaine, even if they were all about friendship. Freddie, Wes and David were the kind who made jokes and liked direct answer. Kurt, on the other hand, didn't have a problem telling the world that he would always help Blaine, no matter what. "Thank you… so much."

"There's nothing to thank me for."

An idea pop into Blaine's mind and suddenly it felt like it was the right thing to do. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, shoot," Kurt muttered, looking at the paper with the lyrics he had in his hand.

"Would you like to sing a song with me tonight at my house? For my brother?"

"What?" Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes like he'd been offered something forbidden. "But Blaine… isn't it a family reunion? It's it supposed to be… private?"

"I don't think there's anything really private in my neighborhood. And yes, it's a family reunion but I kind of consider you as family."

With that phrase, Blaine knew Kurt was in. The other boy seemed to think about it and then asked, "What time?"

"At seven, although I'd like to be home a bit earlier. We could leave Dalton at five, but I understand if you have plans."

"No, no, I'm free."

That was a relief. Blaine was happy to have him at his house that night. "Good… You think you can make it then?"

"Absolutely," Kurt whispered, excited, with a beautiful smile on his face.

Maybe, just maybe, Blaine was falling for him after all.


	6. The Headmaster's son

**6**

**The Headmaster's son**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, Wes, David, OC.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: I don't know if you can tell or not, but I swear I'm having so much fun writing this story. I am also using some of the Glee magic to make students transfer from school to school without problems.

*.*

**The Headmaster's s****on**

If there was something Kurt didn't expect, it was to be invited to Blaine's family reunion. They'd been through a lot together, Blaine had become his mentor in so many ways, and yet it seemed like Kurt had been asked to attend an intimate meeting he was not supposed to be a part of.

The look on Blaine's face at the dorm as he went through the lyrics of the song he wanted to sing showed Kurt that it was all worth it. They were seated together alone on Blaine's bed after lunch and it seemed like everything was good and pure in the world.

Blaine finally put down the lyrics and asked, "So, what do you think?"

He looked nervous about the answer and Kurt didn't want to disappoint him, so he chose his words carefully. "I love your choice. Can I ask something though?"

"Of course."

"For some reason I thought you'd pick a different kind of song. Something more emotional… something about being together as a family."

"The Anderson sons have always been taught to go with their gut," Blaine responded, smiling with a calmness that washed over Kurt. "When my brother and I were kids, sometimes my dad wasn't around and my mom cried and we didn't have enough money… but we always tried to support each other as much as we could. We were encouraged to do what we thought was best for us, no matter what other people thought," he continued. "That's why I believe this song is prefect for the occasion – it talks about the role of money when it comes to one's own happiness. Plus, it's fun and catchy. I don't want to create any drama."

Kurt thought about it for a moment – there was so much passion in Blaine's words and in the way he blushed when remembering such warm memories, that he would say no to that song. "You're right, I understand," Kurt agreed, grabbing his bag pack. "So I'll see you at five?"

Blaine accompanied him towards the door. "Sure, I'll see you at the entrance."

"Deal."

"Oh, and Kurt… thanks again for doing this."

"My pleasure."

And with that, Kurt left Blaine's bedroom and headed towards his. It was both exciting and frightening to sing for his friend's family, but it was for a good cause and Kurt would do anything to make Blaine happy.

As he walked down the corridors thinking about what he was going to wear that night, Wes passed by, completely focused on the papers he was carrying. Yes, those had to be the songs they had been practicing the day. He barely noticed Kurt was there and he kept walking. It was only then that Kurt realized David was going after Wes with a folder full of papers, looking out of breath.

Still, David turned to Kurt and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, man, you got yourself a good guy there in your room."

"What the…?" Had Kurt missed something? Dalton would sure get him suspended for having boys in his room… unless it was Blaine and nobody knew. Ok, he had to work on stopping those thoughts. They were friends, just friends. "David, _what _guy?"

"Your roommate! Just be aware that he's the Headmaster's son, even if it doesn't seem like it at all."

"I don't have a roommate!" Kurt yelled back, but David was looking at Wes, who beckoned him to come closer. "Hey, don't throw a bomb like that on me and run away!"

"David, c'mon! We gotta revise the song list by three o'clock and we don't even have a really sexy song yet! Then we need to start moving the luggage!" Wes told David like it was the most natural thing to say even if Kurt didn't understand what they were talking about, and that was the end of the conversation.

"I'm going, I'm going! Good luck, Kurt!" David said, joining Wes, and then they walked away together discussing lyrics and the amount of bags each one of them would carry.

Kurt took a deep breath as he watched them and decided to ignore the warning. The guy he was supposed to share his room with had not attended Dalton that year despite having signed up for classes. It certainly did make sense that he could do that because of being the Headmaster's son, but the situation was too suspicious for it to be true. Besides, that was David's joke face. Kurt was definitely seeing ghosts.

It only took him five minutes to get back to his room and close the door behind him as his cell phone started to ring. He smiled when he saw the caller id. "Mercedes?" he said, leaving his bag pack on the chair beside his desk.

"Hi Kurt, what's up, sweetie?"

"Everything's all right, I…" Suddenly Kurt's eyes landed on the bed that wasn't his. There was a card on it, one with initials. Kurt picked it up and frowned. "I think I'm getting a roommate." So, it was true. The card was there, it was the proof.

"Sounds good. Who is he?"

"G. N. O."

"Come again?"

"I have no idea who he is. There's a card on the other bed with his initials, G. N. O.," Kurt turned the card only to find that it didn't say anything else. "Yeah, that's all I've got. I just ran into David and he mentioned that this would happen. I didn't believe him until now."

"Do you know anything about this boy?"

"All I know is that he's not been here and the year's about to finish. Oh, and that according to David, this guy's the Headmaster's son, so apparently he can do whatever he wants, despite Dalton's obsession with rightfulness and discipline."

"Ouch, I'm sorry, sweetie. I hope he's not that bad. At least you'll have someone sexy to look at every morning."

Kurt could almost see her laughing quietly at the other end of the line. "Funny, but I'm not up for any dates at the moment," he muttered, and he left the card on the bed. "Besides, I don't have the time to worry about that anyway, at least not today. I've got a family reunion to attend."

"Aww. Who's visiting you and your dad?"

"Oh, it's not _my_family reunion," Kurt responded as he opened his closet and looked inside. "It's Blaine's." No words came out of Mercedes' mouth. There was such silence that Kurt interrupted his search for clothes to pay attention only to her. "I get it that you're worried about me but I'll be fine. I'm not a little boy anymore."

"Can I be completely honest?"

"Like my answer's going to stop you."

"Point taken," Mercedes said. "First, I know you're not a little boy – good lord, you know how to rock those skinny jeans and let mouths hanging open. Second, yes, I am worried because no matter how old you are, you can get your heart broken. And third, hasn't Blaine broken your heart already considering what happened on Valentine's Day?"

"I wouldn't say that he broke my heart, I'm tougher than I look." Kurt rested his back on the closet door. "I appreciate that he was honest with me. I made it all up in my head after all, right?"

"Kurt…"

"The truth is, yes, I still like him, but I gotta get over it. I have to accept that we're never going to be more than friends."

"And you're ok with hanging out with him, even without any kissing or holding hands? Don't you think that will end up badly for you eventually?"

"Actually, I'm good at rationalizing the situation. Or at least I'm trying to do that. There's no point in missing things that never happened in the first place." Kurt felt uncomfortable saying that. He really wanted those things to be true – to kiss Blaine, to hold hands, to walk down the corridors together, to find someone with whom he could share his life.

"I still don't believe you. I don't want you to get hurt."

Mercedes was a wonderful friend, but her worries weren't going to make Kurt change his mind. "I'm still going in. I'm not going to let him down."

"I know you won't. It's just who you are and we all love you for it," Mercedes muttered, and Kurt felt his heart jump with joy. "So, who will be at this reunion?"

"Blaine's mom and some friends and neighbors. It's a special occasion because his brother's coming back home for a couple of days. He lives in Boston. He's a cop."

"Blaine's brother's a cop? Shocker."

Kurt couldn't agree more. He turned to his closet again and fumbled with a couple of shirts. "I know, I told him that and I think he felt offended. I also believe that's part of the reason why he wants to sing songs about money not being important with me for this brother."

"You're gonna sing a song together."

"Yep."

"And you don't think that's confusing for you both."

"Nope. I told you, I'll be fine. I didn't come to Dalton to get a boyfriend, I came here to get some respect and to learn that things can be different, plus improving my education." There was a sound coming from the door. "Mercedes, I gotta go, there's someone knocking at the door. Must be Wes to tell me something about Warblers practice, like he changed the schedule and we're having an emergency meeting tomorrow."

"Good luck."

"Thanks, I'll talk to you soon."

Leaving the closet and the shirts on the bed, he just hoped whoever needed to talk to him would be brief, since he had an outfit to arrange. "I'm coming," he said, and he went to open the door, but it wasn't Wes, and it wasn't Blaine either. Kurt stared in shock at the person who was standing before him until his name left his lips. "Freddie."

"Well, hello there, Kurt," Freddie said from behind his sunglasses, coming in and throwing his bag pack on the bed. A second later, Wes and David followed him carrying some bags and leaving them beside the desk on the other side of the room. Freddie took off his sunglasses and looked around the room. "Wow, you're really tidy. I like that."

Kurt didn't answer and kept watching the scene that was unfolding in front of him. David and Wes carried a couple of extra light bags and threw them on Freddie's bed, almost hitting him on purpose.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Freddie called after a bag almost landed on his face.

"Fair?" David repeated, narrowing his eyes. "We just carried almost your entire luggage while you _fashioned_ your way back to Dalton with sunglasses and a model walk!"

"Well, all I can say is that you can't hide style when it's natural," Freddie teased him. "Late lunch at three like we used to?"

"Definitely," Wes said with a smile Kurt hadn't seen for a long time, and David winked at Freddie as if they were accomplices.

"Great, my honorable Dalton fellows!" Freddie laughed at them as they left with a bow, which he imitated. When the door was closed, he kept smiling and started opening his bag pack, but then his gaze landed on Kurt's and he stopped to talk to him. "Ok, Kurt, I know this is…"

"You can't be my roommate," Kurt blurted out, confused. "My roommate's initials are G. N. O. They're written there," he added, pointing at the card on the bed.

Freddie picked up the card and nodded. "Yes, and my name is Gary Nicholas Osborne, which sucks," Freddie explained, looking frustrated. "Freddie's my nickname. I earned it by impersonating Freddie Mercury once at a party. I can't sing, but I'm great at acting, and believe it or not, I look awesome with dark hair and a mustache."

Slowly, Kurt sat on his own bed, arranging his thoughts inside his head. "I'd been told my roommate was finally coming, but I never thought it would be you. It's just…"

"Unexpected."

"Yeah. I'll be a good roommate though, I promise. We can even write each other a list of the things that may annoy the other one," Freddie proposed. "You know, just in case."

Kurt highly doubted that the Headmaster's son, who'd just come back from Italy and who was a fan of DaVinci would care much about what other people thought, but he still appreciated the offer. "Thanks, maybe it would be useful."

Freddie got his hand inside his bag pack and took out a CD. "Here's your copy of Mediocrity's debut album. Listen to it and please tell me what you think of it when you're done."

"I will," Kurt said, grabbing the CD. "By the way, your name's not that bad."

"C'mon. Gary sounds like the name of an old dude. I hate my father for winning the battle of naming me."

"What were the other options?"

"Geoffrey. Cary. Al. All of them were horrible."

"Hey, my uncle's name is Cary. He's not old. He's a very nice man."

"Didn't mean to hurt any feelings. I'm just saying that those names are not suited for young men in an academy environment where students come up with nicknames and jokes like they breathe air." Freddie started taking his clothes out of his bag. They were all wrinkled but he didn't seem to mind as he arranged them in his drawers. "Do you know where I can find Blaine? And by the way, I didn't tell you this but the clothes he was wearing last night looked great on him. Any guy would have fallen for him at the second. You've got a good eye."

Yes, Kurt had definitely done a good job when it came to dressing up Blaine. He was glad someone else could see his talent. "Thank you," he said. "And he's busy tonight. He's got a family reunion."

"A family reunion?" Freddie frowned, suddenly interested in the news.

"Yes. I'm going too… only as a friend, let's make that clear," Kurt clearly clarified, remembering that Blaine wanted to date Freddie. "I'm going to help him sing a song for his brother who's back from Boston."

"Wait, hold on there. You're singing with Blaine… for Josh?" Freddie was staring at Kurt like he had something on his face.

Why did people keep pointing out that singing together was a major event? It wasn't like Blaine had never shared the stage with other people. Kurt folded his arms and got ready to ask for answers. "You sound worried. Is there anything I should know?"

"No, it's just that Blaine said… never mind," Freddie went back to folding his clothes. "You'll have a great time. His family's very kind and nice to have around. Thank goodness you told me about the reunion. Mrs. Anderson would kill me if she knew I was in town and missed it."

"I can let Blaine know that you'll pass by," Kurt offered.

"Please, don't. I'd like it to be a surprise."

"No problem."

Freddie took a deep breath as he took out his Dalton uniform, which needed to be ironed. "And now I gotta hide my personality and my eccentricity and be a standard Dalton student. I also gotta show politeness and uprightness… I love it. It's like working undercover."

The guy was kind of crazy but also kind of fun. Kurt could see why Blaine liked him, in a weird way. "Ok, I'm gonna change, then I'm leaving. I gotta meet Blaine. Reunion's at seven."

Freddie nodded and he kept unpacking while Kurt grabbed some of his clothes and got into the bathroom to change his outfit. Surprisingly, it didn't take him long to choose what to wear. He looked at himself in the mirror like he always did, feeling satisfied with the outcome. A fresh, electric blue shirt that matched the color of his eyes and dark skinny jeans. He also put some sunglasses on. His hair was fashionably messy. Boy, he was looking fine and ready to make an impression.

When he got out of the bathroom, all of Freddie's clothes were in the closet and in his drawers and his luggage was on a corner of the room. He was nowhere to be seen. For a moment, Kurt was relieved that he was alone. From now on he'd have to share the room with the person Blaine wanted. Wasn't it supposed to be uncomfortable, even if Freddie turned out to be pretty cool?

While he picked up a different bag pack and a little hat to put on just in case it was cold outside, Kurt told himself that this wasn't the time to worry about that. It was almost five and he had to meet Blaine. He had to meet his mother and his brother, strictly as a friend.

He left the commons and soon he found Blaine waiting for him at the entrance, looking really nice in a beautiful long-sleeved, red t-shirt and blue jeans.

"Hi, you ready?" Blaine greeted him as he finished arranging a scarf around his own neck. A neck that kind of screamed to be caressed.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Kurt muttered and he smiled at Blaine, who returned the gesture.

"Wonderful."

Kurt had to stop imagining things. Those thoughts weren't getting him anywhere but to his own doom if Blaine found out. They walked together until the nearest bus stop and waited.

"I'm sorry that we have to take the bus. I don't have a car," Blaine said.

"No problem at all. It's not like I was expecting you to pick me up in a limousine, cotillion style," Kurt joked, enjoying his company.

"Maybe that would have been the right thing to do."

Kurt hadn't seen that one coming. Was that flirting or was he insane? He decided to act like nothing had happened. "Oh, nonsense. C'mon, after you." He invited Blaine to get on the bus that had just arrived.

"No, no, sir. You're the one doing me a favor by joining me and my family tonight. You first." Blaine beckoned the bus door and gently let Kurt get on the vehicle first.

Kurt didn't say a word about that moment to anyone, but his heart beat uncontrollably the entire trip to Blaine's home.


	7. Mentor

**7**

**Mentor**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OCs.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: Sorry that that I didn't post earlier this week. Work got in the way. Hopefully I will be posting the next chapter tomorrow.

*.*

**Mentor**

Kurt and Blaine sat together in the bus and suddenly, there was no conversation for a while. Kurt's smile started to fade as he remembered Blaine's last words before they got in and compared it to where they stood now. There was only one way to know what was going on – keeping it real.

Kurt took a deep breath as he looked through the window. "You're quiet."

It took Blaine a couple of seconds to reply. "I guess I'm just… excited. I'm going to see my brother. I really don't know what I would say to him."

That was a strange answer. Kurt tried some of the possibilities. "Hi, maybe? I've missed you? I love you?" And then he stopped, thinking he'd exposed himself too much there, but if Blaine noticed it, he didn't mention it.

"It's not that easy," Blaine muttered. "We've been through a lot. I gotta admit that the last time we spoke it wasn't nice, despite whatever we might talk on the phone. Being face to face is different. Things will come up, I'm sure."

"I get that, but he's back and you're supposed to have fun and share a nice meal together."

Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes and gave him a hopeful smile. "I know. I have missed him a lot."

Kurt looked at his own hands, feeling his cheeks burn. "How is he, your brother?"

"Ah, he's great. I'll never say this to him but I think he made me who I am today."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He… He was there, you know? He was in my room when I cried because someone had called me a fag at school. I knew it was a teenager thing for my classmates and that it wasn't serious. Then it got kind of ugly."

"Did you…?"

"No, I never got beat up. I was lucky. That's why sometimes… I feel like I'm so week and that I should be ashamed. When people pushed me away and called me dirty names, I couldn't take it and I left. I found Dalton and stayed there. I could never go back, even if what happened to me was meaningless compared to what other gay kids go through."

"Blaine, don't say that. Everyone reacts in a different way. Plus, your family was very supportive."

"That's true. My mom was like Xena, she would always make me smile when I was having a crappy day. She'd bake, turn on the radio and we would dance and sing together like we were rock stars," Blaine said heartedly. "And my brother – he was awesome. It wasn't only that he was so good at playing the guitar and the coolest kid in the neighborhood. He'd endlessly encourage me to enjoy the moment and be proud of who I am. The two of them helped me keep going until we found Dalton. I don't know what I would have done without them."

"I don't know what _I_ would have done without them, because then I wouldn't have you with me right now."

There, Kurt had said it. He would be eternally grateful to the Anderson family for their love and support and happiness. Blaine was definitely touched by the comment, given the soft smile no his face.

"Ok, we're almost there," Blaine said, and he pointed at the corner. The bus followed that path and he and Kurt got up from their seats. Soon they were getting off the vehicle and walking a couple of blocks. "I bet my mom's baking and reinventing memories. She loves that."

"Does she know I'm coming?"

"Eh…" Blaine stopped in his tracks and he frowned. "No, but that's fine."

Kurt couldn't believe his ears. "No? Oh, c'mon, Blaine. This was a family reunion for your brother, now she's going to think I'm some stranger who's…"

"… who's going to make her evening a fabulous one, full of love, cuteness and joy," Blaine finished, and he looked into Kurt's eyes, silently asking him to stop worrying about the whole issue.

"Mmm. Ok, but remember that I do this for you, because I really care about you," Kurt responded, and they continued walking towards their destination.

Blaine's house looked like a regular one on the outside –pale and white, a nice front yard and a SUV parked at the entrance. Blaine opened the door with his keys, letting Kurt come in first. After closing the door behind him, he started taking off his scarf, revealing his sexy neck again. Kurt swallowed as he heard him call, "Hello! Mom, where are you?"

"In the kitchen!" a strong voice said from not very far away, and Blaine's smile grew bigger as he went towards it in the next room. In the meantime, Kurt observed what surrounded him in the living room. There was an old leather sofa near the main window, a TV, a collection of magazines and books and a lot of paintings hanging from the walls. Blaine's mother must have liked art very much. The place didn't look expensive at all but it had a very personal touch and was enjoyable to be in… Kurt felt Blaine's hand taking his and walking him towards the kitchen.

"Hey, c'mon. I want you to meet her."

Kurt let Blaine guide the way and when they got into the kitchen, he could see Blaine's mom. She was nothing like he'd pictured her as she made scrambled eggs and popcorn. She had dark, long, curly hair just like Blaine's, black eyes and an attitude you could see from miles away. "The radio is turned on, food is not really ready… Oh!" She said, frowning when she noticed Kurt standing at the kitchen door. She immediately took off her glasses and offered her hand, smiling widely. "Well, hello. My name's Cassandra, I'm Blaine's mother."

"I'm Kurt, nice to meet you. You have a beautiful house," Kurt responded, a bit nervous, and he noticed that her fingernails were painted in blue.

"Thank you, I really appreciate the comment. Do you go to Dalton with Blaine?"

"Yeah. I transferred there a few months ago."

"I invited him to our reunion because I'd like him to help me sing a song to Josh. It would be a good way to show him what I do with the Warblers and also to remember the old days," Blaine explained quietly.

Cassandra's face lit up. "A song? Sweetie, that's such a great idea," she held Blaine in a close hug. When they separated, Kurt noticed that she was a bit shorter than Blaine. "Everyone's welcome here. Kurt, please feel free to join us. If you're a friend of Blaine's then you're a friend of the Anderson's."

"Thank you very much," Kurt responded, and with that his nervousness was gone.

Blaine started helping his mother by cleaning the dishes. "Did Josh call? It's almost six."

"Yeah, he did. He said he'd be here in five. We better have all of this ready by seven, you know he has a voracious appetite."

"Can I help?" Kurt offered himself. It would be rude not to do it and he enjoyed cooking.

"Oh, it's ok, don't worry," Cassandra told him. "It's fine, we've got it covered. Plus, we've got enough popcorn to keep him satisfied until actual dinner arrives." That's when the doorbell rang and both Blaine and his mother looked at each other with hope. Blaine suddenly seemed a bit uncomfortable with the situation but Cassandra held his hand and muttered, "It's gonna be ok, sweetie. You love each other."

Blaine nodded and he went towards the living room to open the front door. Kurt followed him while Cassandra stayed in the kitchen finishing dinner. It was strange to see this side of Blaine, afraid but also excited. He reached for the door knob and then his brother came into the scene.

A handsome man with dark blue eyes and black hair stared at him with an apologetic smile. "Hey."

Blaine held his breath. "Hi."

Josh took Blaine into a tight embrace. "You cut your hair."

"I thought it was time."

They patted each other's shoulders and Josh stepped aside and closed the door behind him. Then he noticed Kurt standing there, and just like Blaine's mom had done it, he frowned. It was amazing how much they looked alike when they did that. "Wow, you're taller than Blaine."

"Josh, c'mon," Blaine muttered between gritted teeth, and he pushed him a bit forward while Josh shook Kurt's hand. "I'm Josh, Blaine's brother."

"I know," Kurt muttered. "I'm Kurt. I'm from Dalton Academy too."

"It's great to meet you, Kurt," Josh said politely, and then he exchanged looks with Blaine like he was asking something. Yep, he definitely thought Kurt was Blaine's boyfriend or something. Why people kept making the same assumption? Blaine liked Freddie!

"Joshua, where are you?" Cassandra called from the kitchen.

"In here, Mom! At the door!" Josh responded, and a second later, his mother was out of the kitchen, running towards him and then holding him tight.

"Come here. I've missed you." She asked Blaine to join them and held them both. "This is a great moment. My two boys are with me today." She let them go and frowned in shock. "Why the hell are you wearing that?" she said, beckoning the dark blue Boston PD sweatshirt Josh had on. "You know you gotta leave your job at the door."

"Yeah, but I didn't have time to stop and pick an outfit. I came here as soon as my boss let me go."

Cassandra seemed to consider the reasons he had and finally nodded. "Ok, I'll allow it. Let's go to the kitchen. I'm making popcorn."

"Really? God, I love you, Mother," Josh said, following her, and she winked at him.

The four of them went into the kitchen again and Cassandra handed Josh a bowl of popcorn. Kurt didn't understand why someone would eat that right before dinner, but Josh seemed to be pretty sure that it was the most amazing pre-meal in the world.

"Hey, I see that you re decorating again." Josh beckoned the paintings that had been hanged in the kitchen too. "Those are new."

While Cassandra nodded and checked out the oven, Kurt commented, "I've noticed those paintings. Where do you buy them? They're gorgeous."

"My mom paints them herself," Blaine explained as he joined his mother behind the counter. "She works at a bank but deep down inside, she's an artist."

"She's really talented."

"Oh, thank you for that," Cassandra said, and she kept cooking.

Kurt came closer to one of the paintings to see it better. It was a beautiful sunset. He felt someone coming to stand beside him and heard the sound of Josh eating his popcorn.

"They make fantastic decorations," Josh said about the paintings.

"Yeah, definitely."

Without any warnings, Josh rested his back on the wall as he ate, facing Kurt, and lowered his voice. "Hey, can I ask you something? And I hope it doesn't offend you."

"If it's about me being here, it was not my intention to interrupt your reunion…" Kurt started saying, "Blaine invited me but…"

"No, it's not that. I think it's cool that you're here. The more, the merrier. I just wanted to know… you know, if you were gay, just like my brother."

That was it? Kurt was relieved. "Yes, a hundred percent gay. I transferred to Dalton because I was having trouble at school and there I met Blaine. He's become kind of my mentor."

Josh's eyes narrowed. "Your mentor."

"He's always talking about courage. It's been inspiring for me."

"That's good. Very good." Josh played with his popcorn smiling, like Kurt had told him exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Blaine asked them, coming towards them. He certainly seemed nervous to find them whispering to each other.

"Oh, just stuff. Kurt was telling me that he's happy to be a student at Dalton Academy, that's all," Josh said, winking at Kurt. "I gotta say I'm very glad Blaine got someone who can bear with him."

"What?" Blaine said.

"Kurt, you gotta know what you're dealing with," Josh explained. "You'll see, Blaine snores."

Blaine looked offended. "Excuse me? I don't."

"Tell that to the person who slept in the same room as you for over ten years."

"Funny, Dirty Socks."

"Rooowdy," Josh sang in a dramatic imitation of Blaine's voice, mocking him.

"Unfair." Blaine was not enjoying it and he looked embarrassed, although Kurt couldn't understand the inside joke.

"Just warming up, little brother." Josh popped some popcorn into his mouth, smiling. "I gotta be ready to fight back. Comes with the job."

"So how's life at Boston anyway?" Blaine asked.

"Busy. It's amazing how many people are willing to steal and kill for the weirdest reasons. It's like the longest list of stupid felonies ever, but I like the thrill of the chase."

"Did you ever get close to…?"

"Getting show? Of course I did. Just don't tell Mom."

Blaine's mouth opened slightly but nothing came out of it. He just simply walked away and Kurt followed him, leaving Josh behind.

"Are you ok?" Kurt asked once they were alone in the living room, and Blaine ran one hand over his face, worried.

"It's just… I can't… Damn it. How do I tell him that I hate it that he's a cop and that he risks his life every single day? I mean, he already knows that since that's why we fought the last time but I'd like him to understand that he can not say things like 'don't tell Mom I almost got killed' like he's talking about the weather. He's twenty six, for God's sake."

"He's protecting other people. Someone's gotta do it and most people run away, but your brother's brave enough to step up and do the job well."

"I don't know."

Kurt took a deep breath and placed his hand on Blaine's shoulder to comfort him. He could feel the tension in his muscles. "You don't want to lose him. I understand."

"Yeah…" The door bell rang. "I'll go get that. I don't know who would knock on our door tonight, though."

As Blaine went towards the door, Kurt was afraid he knew the answer to that question. Right now he was not sure about whether he should have told Blaine who else was coming that night.

"Freddie, what are you doing here?" Blaine asked Freddie, who had come visit him without telling him first. "Wait. Guys, why...?"

Freddie smiled in his Dalton uniform, and another figures dressed exactly like him starting to appear behind him with their hands clasped behind their backs. Blaine was speechless, and so was Kurt, at the sight of the Warblers also standing by the open door.


	8. The truth comes second

**8**

**The truth comes second**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, Wes, David, OCs.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: It took me a whole week to post again –long chapter this time-, sorry for that. Work is still crazy but I'm trying to do my best. Oh, and by the way, I just love this song for the Warblers. I knew I had to include it at some point.

*.*

**The truth comes second**

"Guys, what are you doing here?" Blaine asked the Warblers as soon as he recovered from the surprise of seeing them standing in front of him, at his door, with his family and Kurt inside. There was just no reason for them to come by that night.

Wes made a step forward and solemnly said, "We came to enhance the quality of your already talented show. We are willing to sing with you and Kurt for your brother, if that's ok with you, of course."

A beautiful gesture it was, but Blaine was still a bit taken aback by the whole situation, simply because of the lack of explanations. "I…" he mumbled, and he made a big effort to sound coherent. "I don't understand… Who told you about this?"

"I did," Freddie raised his hand. "I thought it'd be great to see your family again since I've been away for so long. I got the word that Josh was coming and I figured the Warblers could provide the perfect vocal arrangements for your performance tonight – damn it, I sound so polite. Wes' fault, obviously." Wes raised an eyebrow like he was right to be that polite anyway. "I hope you don't mind." There was an apologetic smile on Freddie's face, like he was worried Blaine may get mad. However, he was wrong.

"No, I don't mind… but you don't even know the song," Blaine said.

"Um, yeah, actually we do. David and Freddie found the lyrics on your nightstand when you were out for lunch. I promise we were careful to leave everything just where it was before," Wes explained, smiling. "But that's not important anyway," he clarified while his chest rose. "We've been rehearsing for months for Regionals and also practicing some improvisation anyway. We are highly trained to respond to singing emergencies. I assure you we won't need more than ten minutes to coordinate our melodies."

If Blaine hadn't known the Warblers' talent for a couple of years now and also Wes' love for perfection, he would have thought that statement was some sort of absurd leap of faith. Nevertheless, after performing with them so many times, he was confident of their ability to learn music at the speed of light.

"We can even rap if you want us to," David offered as he stood beside Wes.

"Really?" the entire moment had come out of nowhere and Blaine was still confused, but not enough to believe that was a bad idea. In fact, having David and Wes doing the rap part of the song sounded damn good right now. "Could you do that?"

David grinned. "Sure. B.o.B.'s our man."

Blaine laughed, relieved that things were starting to fall into place and the sudden visit of the Warblers had the best of intentions. "Awesome, and thanks," he muttered, high-fiving his friends. "Thank you all. Please, come in," he added, speaking to the other Warblers. Once everyone was inside, he cornered Freddie. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Freddie didn't look surprise about Blaine's need to be alone with him, so he followed him near the window.

"I thank you for this, but how did you find out about Josh? Kurt was the only one who knew about him. When did he tell you and why? You've just met." Ok, maybe there was a bit of jealously there and Blaine might need to shut up, but there was no chance that Kurt would confide to Freddie what he knew about Josh just like that.

"Ah, Blaine, you're so messed up because of his boy you don't even catch the big news. I'm back at Dalton."

It seemed that Blaine's brain was about to explode. The possibilities of chaos and disaster were astronomical – Freddie telling Kurt about his mixed feelings, Kurt finding out that Freddie wasn't gay, and the worst of them all, Kurt falling for Freddie because of thinking he played for his team. "Are you kidding me? I thought the Dalton uniform was a joke."

"Nope, and it kind of hurts me that you think I might play pranks by using Dalton material." Freddie looked through the window towards the front yard and snorted. "Ha, you might have a point though, but let's continue. I'm also Kurt's new roommate."

"What the…? How? It's just… I don't see why… Did you do it on purpose?" Blaine asked, feeling the panic make him shiver. "Did you tell him about our conversation?"

"The one from last night where you didn't know what to do with him?" Freddie closed his eyes. "No. I'm not an idiot, despite what I say sometimes." When he opened his eyes again, he looked kind of angry.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that and you know it…"

"But your time's running up. Make a decision. Kiss him or let him go. It's not that hard."

"Says the guy who took six months to impress his current girlfriend because he wasn't sure he had feelings for her beyond attraction," Blaine retorted.

"Whatever," Freddie rolled his eyes. "You know what I'm saying, Blaine. There's a reason why you invited him here, to see your brother, your Mom, and to sing for them. I don't think you're seeing the big picture here. You might be confused, but I already know the answer to the question of what you're going to do. I'm just pushing you a bit."

"You can't be sure, I might surprise you, whatever you think you know. Oh, and you're evil."

"Thank you."

Freddie bowed before him and Blaine looked at the group of Warblers talking on the sofa while they reheard some of the tunes. "I think this was a great idea. Thank you, I mean it. And I don't know if I've said this already, but I missed you." The corners of Freddie's mouth cracked up with satisfaction and Blaine continued, "Look at the Warblers, I can't believe they're willing to do this for me."

"They even have a speech for you."

"What?" Blaine was trying to figure out what Freddie had just said when his mother and his brother approached them.

His mother opened her arms and held him tight. "Freddie, dear!"

"Hey, man! What's up? Haven't seen you in ages!" Josh said, smiling and shaking Freddie's hand. "You look exactly the same!"

"Thanks, but I can't say the same about you," Freddie joked. "You look at least ten years older."

"Always good to know I can count on your honesty."

"Well, I'm at your service."

They all laughed and suddenly Blaine felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find a flushed Kurt asking him to talk in private. They both went to the closest corner and Kurt whispered, "Hey, I'm sorry if this made you uncomfortable, I had no idea they were going to come up with this kind of plan. And for the record, I thought only Freddie was coming…"

"It's great, Kurt," Blaine assured him, loving the way his cheeks were a bit red and how he kept shaking his hands with nervousness. "I think everyone's gonna love our song tonight, and I'm so happy that you're here with us right now." Looking into Kurt's eyes, he could feel how delighted he was to hear those words, and that made Blaine shiver. The boy was starting to do things to him.

"Oh, Freddie, wait," Kurt grabbed the sunglasses from Freddie's jacket as he joined them. "These are for Blaine, at least until the show's over." He offered the sunglasses to Blaine, who didn't understand what was going on. "He can rock the look with the lyrics."

"Perfect," Freddie said, but when he passed by Blaine, he whispered, "_Wet _model!" making Kurt laugh.

Really, what was it with people wanting to put clothes on him and making him wear cool accessories? Wasn't the shopping nightmare enough for Kurt? He was more of the classic type. Blaine looked at them both and shook his head but accepted the joke and took the sunglasses with him.

"I think we're gonna do this now," Kurt muttered, and excited, he joined the other Warblers and they all took their places in the middle of the living room. "Josh, Cassandra, please sit down. We have a performance for you tonight." Blaine's family sat on the sofa right in front of the Dalton students and Blaine thought it was like seeing a dream come true. He smiled heartedly at the happy look on Kurt's face as he talked to Wes and David and how he stopped when Blaine came around.

"This is gonna be monumental," Freddie whispered to him before sitting down with Cassandra and Josh, since he wasn't a Warbler. He grabbed some popcorn from Josh' bowl and winked at Blaine, who just shook his head and asked if everybody was ready.

"Oh, you can be sure we are ready," Wes said, clasping his hands behind his back, and then he turned to Blaine's family and to Freddie. "May I have your attention, please? We are here to perform for you all because Blaine has been a key addition to the Warblers and because he's been more than a great friend to us." The Warblers nodded in agreement. "Now, you have gone through some rough times during Blaine's first year at Dalton and everything is not perfect yet, but we know you will succeed at winning the battle because you are wonderful people. Sometimes money defines who you are friends with and that closes so many doors, but that is not the case here. We have remained close because we know that money and wealth are not important, and this is what we want to convey with this song. We hope you enjoy it."

Blaine couldn't believe Wes was saying such nice words about him and he felt himself blush furiously. What had he done to deserve the great friends he had?

"At the count of three, guys," David said. "One… Two… Three."

The Warblers started making the music with their voices as they snapped their fingers. Kurt smiled while he sang the first verse. He totally owned the song.

_Seems like everybody's got a price,_

_I wonder how they sleep at night._

_When the sale comes first,_

_And the truth comes second,_

_Just stop, for a minute and_

_Smile_

Then Blaine took the lead with the sunglasses on, and he felt like it was ok to wear them. It was like the wet model menace was gone, at least for a moment.

_Why is everybody so serious!_

_Acting so damn mysterious_

_You got your shades on your eyes_

_And your heels so high_

_That you can't even have a good_

_Time._

Blaine took off his sunglasses... He and Kurt waived their arms to the left and the right, pointing at the Warblers on each side, who danced with their usually smooth moves. They sang one line at a time.

_Kurt and Blaine: __Everybody look to their left (yeah)_

_Kurt and Blaine: __Everybody look to their right (ha)_

_Blaine: __Can you feel that (yeah)_

_Kurt: __We're paying with love tonight..._

It was amazing to hear the chorus behind him. Blaine knew they were all singing together but the meaning of the lyrics, Wes' speech and the reason why the Warblers were there, made him so incredibly happy.

_It's not about the money, money, money_

_We don't need your money, money, money_

_We just wanna make the world dance,_

_Forget about the Price Tag._

_Ain't about the (ha) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching._

_Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling_

_Wanna make the world dance,_

_Forget about the Price Tag._

Blaine laughed and went towards the second verse, dancing as much as he could. He felt absolutely at ease around his loved ones.

_We need to take it back in time,_

_When music made us all unite,_

_And it wasn't low blows and video Hoes,_

_Am I the only one gettin... tired_?

Ok, maybe he'd danced a bit too much there, but it didn't matter. Kurt was already singing the next part and making faces to match the lyrics. He was definitely having a good time.

_Why is everybody so obsessed?_

_Money can't buy us happiness._

_If we all slow down and enjoy right now_

_Gua__rantee we'll be feelin'_

_All right._

They both sang the pre-chorus together, repeating their moves to the sides towards the Warblers.

_Kurt and Blaine: __Everybody look to their left (yeah)_

_Kurt and Blaine: __Everybody look to their right (ha)_

_Kurt: __Can you feel that (yeah)_

_Blaine: __We'll pay them with love tonight..._

The chorus repeated with more energy this time, and when it was gone, Wes and David made a step forward to rap four lines each. They were really good at it, Blaine had to admit. They had the smile, they had the moves, they had the charisma.

_David: __Well, keep the price tag and take the cash back_

_David: __Just give me six streams and a half stack_

_David: __And you can keep the cars leave me the garage_

_David: And all I __need are keys and guitars,_

_Wes: And guess what, in 30 seconds I'm leaving to Mars_

_Wes: __Yes we leaving across these undefeatable odds_

_Wes: __It's like this man, you can't put a price on life_

_Wes: __We do this for the love so we fight and sacrifice every night_

_David: __So we ain't gonna stumble and fall never_

_Wes: __Waiting to see, a sign of defeat, uh-uh_

_David: __So we gonna keep everyone moving their feet_

_Wes: __So bring back the beat and everybody sing_

_David and Wes: __It's not about the money!_

The last time they sang the chorus together, it was absolutely refreshing. They all broke their structured positions and just enjoyed the moment, like they were a big family singing and dancing on a Sunday evening to end their weekend with a good mood. The Warblers, Kurt, everyone was Blaine's family.

_It's not about the money, money, money_

_We don't need your money, money, money_

_We just wanna make the world dance,_

_Forget about the Price Tag._

_Ain't about the (ha) Cha-Ching Cha-Ching._

_Aint about the (yeah) Ba-Bling Ba-Bling_

_Wanna make the world dance,_

_Forget about the Price Tag…_

A few more tunes from the Warblers took the song to its end. Blaine was excited and full of energy, and he started high fiving everyone like they'd won Regionals. It was just that amazing.

"That was wonderful!" his mom said, applauding them, and Josh's eyes were wide open like he'd been wowed.

Josh's eyes were wide open and he got up to hug Blaine closely. "Wow, Blaine, I knew you were talented, but his? This is you being a rock star for real! I love you so much, little brother."

Maybe they hadn't clear the air –not really- about the issues they had with Josh leaving, but this was definitely a step forward. "Love you too, Josh."

Then it was Freddie's turn to comment on the number. "Great as usual, but even better!" he said, and he turned to Blaine. "Just one question. What's with the low blows and the hooker moves?"

"Hooker moves?" Blaine frowned.

"Like this." Freddie went down and up again moving his hips in a sexy way and showing off a gangster face.

"I didn't…"

"Yeah, you did."

Crap, Blaine had hoped no one would notice those moves. He was right in the middle of the hooker move display that matched the lyrics of the song when he realized what he was doing and he made himself stop. That was what happened when he let himself go. Sometimes he hated the effect music had on him. "Whatever I did, I just want to thank you. For everything," he told the Warblers, and he gave Freddie his sunglasses back.

"Don't mention it. It was a good practice," Wes informed him.

David elbowed him, rolling his yes. "Man, don't be like that."

"C'mon, I wasn't serious. You know what I actually meant."

Blaine nodded as Wes smiled, and David shook his head. Yeah, it would take a long time for Wes to stop being so uptight, but his speech had touched Blaine and he would never forget it. He accompanied the guys while they greeted his family. "Mom, Josh, I'm gonna go with the guys now, ok? I'll be back in a minute."

Soon the Warblers, Kurt and Blaine were outside. Blaine watched the Dalton students get into the three cars that had been parked near by. "Bye guys, thanks so much."

"See you tomorrow, Blaine!" Wes said through the window, and he started his car's engine. A few seconds later, the vehicles went around the corner and disappeared from his view. Blaine stood there at the front yard, even when they were gone.

"They really care about you, which says a lot about you," Kurt muttered, coming closer. "I'm proud of you."

"And I'm grateful to you. Forever," Blaine responded, looking into Kurt's eyes and wondering if this whole do-I-want-him-or-not dilemma had already found its answer. Maybe Freddie was right and there was only one possible solution.

They stared at each other in silence until Freddie himself broke it. He walked towards them with his sunglasses on. "Well, guys, there you are. I just wanted to say thanks for a great night."

"You're not staying?" Kurt asked.

"Nah, I know I came by to say hi but this is kind of a private thing. I don't want to interrupt." It was a little late for him to say that, but he'd brought a beautiful evening to the place, so Blaine thought he wouldn't comment on that. Freddie took a look at his watch, frowning. "It's seven thirty. I should have been picked up by now. Where is she?"

Blaine frowned, suddenly worried. "She?"

"Yeah…" Freddie had a questioning look on his face. Then his gaze landed on something behind Blaine and he smiled. "There she is!"

When Blaine realized what was going on, it was too late.

Freddie was running towards the car that had just parked beside his, and a dark-haired woman was getting off the vehicle to run towards him too. "Paula!" Freddie called, and Blaine knew that this scene would be the end for him.

Freddie had locked lips with Paula in a passionate kiss.

The next thing Blaine knew, Kurt was approaching Freddie and making him break the kiss with Paula. He was definitely angry. "What the hell is this?"

"I'm sorry?" Freddie asked, of course, wondering why he'd been interrupted from kissing his beloved girlfriend.

"Yeah, you should be sorry! Making Blaine believe you were gay? That's cruel! The guy fell for you and now you kiss a girl right here at his house, with his family inside? Why the hell didn't you tell him you were bi?"

Freddie opened his mouth in shock. "Bi? What the…? Hold on there, Kurt. I'm straight. And what are you talking about?"

"Yeah, what is he talking about, Freddie?" Paula wanted to know. She had her hands on her hips and looked as if she was a volcano about to explode. She was starting to get flushed. "Why don't you explain it to me?"

"I… I don't know what's going on, and that's usually not the case," Freddie said, lifting his hands in surrender. "I swear I have no idea why Kurt came up with the idea that I there's something between Blaine and I, but I know that it's not true. We're just friends!"

"Ha, I understand now!" The sarcasm in Paula's tone was evident. "This is the reason why you talk so much about him!" She looked at Blaine, who was now coming towards her. "He's handsome, yes, but why did you make me think you loved me?"

"Baby, I…"

"Don't call me 'baby,' I hate you right now!" she yelled, and she turned around, got into her car and left.

"Paula? Paula, no, wait! Come back, I love you!" Freddie jumped into his own car and followed her, not looking back.

Then it was just silence and Kurt. The blue-eyed boy was breathing heavily when he turned to Blaine. "Blaine?"

"Yeah," Blaine said, taking a deep breath before all hell broke loose.

"Freddie…"

"He's not gay."

There was a horrible moment when none of them said anything.

"I…" Kurt muttered a second later. "I'm confused."

"I know."

"If he's not gay… I just yelled at him, made him get into a fight with his girlfriend." Kurt looked at the spot where Paula's car had been. "Oh my God, what a disaster!" He hid his face with his hand and then the rage was all out, making Blaine its victim. "Why did you let me do all this… the talks, the clothes, the music… if you knew that he wasn't going to look at you that way?"

Blaine knew that the question was going to come up eventually, but he still had no explanations. "I don't know," he whispered as he folded his arms with discomfort. He could feel Kurt's anger grow and he tried to avoid his gaze.

"You _don't_ know? What kind of answer is that?"

"I just… Kurt… I told you, I don't know what I'm doing!" Blaine yelled, even he didn't want to. He didn't know how to fix what he'd done. "I thought we could spend more time together without you thinking I might…"

"Without me thinking you may like me someday? Ok, that's bullshit. We've even talked about it. I know you're not attracted to me, so what? We can't be friends anymore? The only reason why you could have done this is because you thought you'd push me away! Well, let me tell you something, Blaine – it was a terrible idea! Making me think you were in love with someone else… someone who's not even gay!"

"I… I honestly don't know what to say to you."

"Fine. I do know what I want to say to you, so let me make it clear. I don't take this kind of bullshit because I don't deserve it. It is not fair to me. We could have spent more time together without this… show, without this madness that you put us all through – but that's not what you desire, right? You want me to go away, I'll go away. I don't appreciate being lied at."

Kurt went inside his house and grabbed his stuff before coming out again and leaving, flushed and mad. Blaine didn't follow him, as he didn't want to make the situation worse than it already was. He had the words to express how he felt in his head but none of them wanted to come out the right way. Whatever he said, he sounded frustrated, angry or indifferent, so he chose to say nothing. He wasn't this poorly articulate guy who lied at his friends. This wasn't him, and yet he'd disappointed Kurt so much. Blaine wasn't even sure who he was anymore. He stood where he was for what seemed to be a long time, knowing that Kurt had every single right to not hang out with him ever again.

He didn't even hear his brother calling him to say dinner was served.


	9. Leaving and staying

**9**

**Leaving and staying**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OCs.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: I hope everyone's enjoying the story and that if possible you listen to the songs that I have included so far. It's so much fun, I promise! It's almost interactive, haha.

*.*

**Leaving and staying**

"Blaine, everyone, come inside! Dinner's ready!"

Blaine felt like his hands were numb and he had no energy to move away from his spot. Kurt was gone. He was gone and he was mad and hell, he was absolutely right. Why would you like someone who's lied to you? Someone you trusted?

Blaine almost didn't hear his brother coming out of the house and walking towards him. "Hey, why don't you…? Wait. Where's Kurt? And what about Freddie?"

"They left."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a complete idiot." Blaine just said it out loud. He turned to his brother and saw him frown. "Can you tell Mom that I'm not having dinner tonight?"

"No, you tell her. I might be Boston PD but I doubt I'd survive her anger."

"I'm serious, Josh. I want to be alone." This wasn't the time for jokes and funny comments, Blaine really wanted to get far away from everybody so that he could try and think straight for once. He got into the house with Josh following him closely and repeated, "I mean it, go away," but his brother went upstairs with him like he wasn't taking any of that bullshit. Blaine even tried to lock himself in his own room, but Josh insisted to not let him and he even forced the door.

"Stop it! What the hell is wrong with you?" Josh yelled as he came in.

Couldn't he mind his own business? Blaine felt like he could even hit his brother right now. "Can't I just have a little bit of privacy?"

"Not when you look like you're about to explode from rage! I know you. You gotta talk to someone about whatever is going on!"

"You don't get to decide that. You haven't been here for a year, you have no right to tell me what I should do or who I should do it with…" Blaine suddenly realized that he was conveying a lot of his feelings with those words. "Damn it!" he cursed as he punched a pillow that was on his bed. Then the room was filled with silence… Blaine closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then muttered, "Please... Please, leave."

It took less than a minute to hear Josh close the door behind him. Finally, Blaine was alone with his thoughts and his feelings, and it wasn't nice. He sat on his bed and stared at his wall full of book shelves and sport posters. At some point during his stay at Dalton, he seemed to forget about them, about who he was. It was only when he was with Kurt that he resembled the person he was at home. Sometimes spending so much time with the Warblers wiped out his individuality.

But even if Kurt had become his best friend, Blaine had built a lie over a lie over a lie and now he didn't even knew where he stood with him. Blaine had also provoked the fight between Freddie and his beloved girlfriend. Freddie would talk to him again eventually, that was obvious, but it would take a long time and Blaine wouldn't even deserve it.

Now, Kurt was entirely different. He might have been bullied at his own school, but he was always proud and honest and down right awesome. Sometimes Blaine thought he was the brave one, and this was a clear example of that. Kurt had stood for himself and left, while Blaine had offered the stupidest excuse in the world, if any, and he hadn't moved a finger to fix the situation.

Blaine had no idea what he could do to get Kurt back, at least as friends. Things wouldn't be the same between them but it was really odd to think about life without him. Blaine had to admit that he'd gotten used to his presence, his flamboyant outfits and his smart comments. He'd even learned to like scarves a little more.

He was scared to move from the bed but he was starting to realize how much of a fool of himself he'd made when he'd thrown his brother out of the room. Josh was only trying to help him, but Blaine was too blind to see it. He deserved an apology. If Blaine was going to try and make everyone forgive him, he might as well start now with him.

Slowly, Blaine opened the door and walked down the corridor towards his brother's room. Blaine knocked on the door and it opened slightly to his touch. Their mother hadn't touch a thing since Josh had left. Blaine knew she was secretly hoping he'd give up the job and come back home soon. It hurt to know that it wasn't going to happen.

His brother was arranging his drawers since he'd just changed to more comfortable clothes –a yellow t-shirt and sweatpants. There was no sign of his Boston PD sweatshirt anymore. "Blaine," he muttered as he grabbed a pair of socks.

"Josh, I… I'm sorry."

Josh didn't answer. He sat on his bed and started putting on the socks without even looking at Blaine.

"You're not gonna say anything?" Blaine wanted to know. "Are you mad?"

"Nah, I've just learnt to be silent when needed… It's a job thing. Stakeouts are nightmares when you get stuck with the same person over and over again. I mean, how many conversations can you have before the topics run out?"

"Yeah, I guess." Blaine felt relieved that his brother wasn't resentful because of their last fight.

"Doesn't mean I'm not gonna eventually ask my brother if I can help him."

Josh's smile brought one to Blaine's face, and he came into the room to sit on the bed beside his brother. "It's ok. There's nothing you can do unless you can fix me."

"C'mon, that's not even remotely funny. There's nothing wrong with you. Is this because of Kurt?"

"And Freddie."

"He's involved?" Josh put on his slippers. "That's not good. Unfortunately we've known him long enough to know that whatever he gets his hands on, the result is as unexpected as his actions."

That should definitely be taken into consideration, but it was only half of the story. "Actually, Freddie's kind of the second victim of what happened, after Kurt."

"I'm listening."

It was strange to talk about it with Josh, but Blaine knew he'd always been supportive of him. Plus, he definitely needed some advice. "I… I lied to Kurt… about Freddie. I told him… that Freddie was gay… and that I was trying to impress him because I liked him."

Josh lifted his eyebrows. "Oh. But… Freddie's…"

"He's got a girlfriend, and he's just my friend, and he's not remotely gay, and I screwed up…"

"But you like Freddie?"

"What? No!"

Josh raised his hands in surrender. "Then I'm lost."

Well, Blaine couldn't blame him. "The point is… I don't know why I did all of this. It was one those ideas I didn't process in my head beforehand, like the Gap fiasco."

"Does this even compare to that in the scale of the World's Most Awkward Events? I couldn't believe it myself when you told me over the phone."

"Very funny. Seriously, Though. I don't know why I said all those things. I didn't even tell Freddie about the lie. Now it's such a mess… I think I made his girlfriend break up with him." Blaine covered his face with his hands.

Josh grinned and scratched his chin. "Aha. What about Kurt? You like him?"

"I…" Blaine took a deep breath, looking at the ceiling as he thought about the answer. "No. I don't... Damn it. Why should I try to figure that out? My friendship with Kurt's damaged now. It doesn't make any sense to even think about him as someone I could potentially like."

Josh shifted in his seat. "C'mon, Blaine, you know I don't believe that. I saw how you looked at him, and I know you. You get terribly weird when you really like someone. I think you wanted to make Kurt jealous."

"That's not… No. That's not what I was trying to do, that's the only thing I know. Besides, he told me that he liked me on Valentine's Day. I told him that I'm his friend and that I don't want that to change…" Blaine stopped talking when he heard his brother laughing like crazy beside him. "Josh, you're not helping."

"Sorry, sorry, um… It's just that you're so in denial! And it's hard for me to get my head around this show you put on to impress Kurt, who I can guarantee you very much like."

"Oh, great! Now you sound like Freddie. First he said that I should either try to be with Kurt or let him go, that things would get confusing if I didn't, and that it would hurt both of us."

"Wow. For all the crap that comes out of his mouth, he actually gave you a nice piece of advice," Josh said, like he was talking to himself. "But anyway, I think he had a point. What did you decide?"

"Nothing at all, but Freddie thinks I already know what I'm gonna do with Kurt. That I'm going to become his boyfriend."

"True."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "No. The truth is I don't know what I want when it comes to him, and it's killing me because I can't even act normal around him anymore. I mean, I try. I tell him nice things and it works on the outside because I make myself believe that we're performing some sort of song… but I think he can see that I'm not as confident as I look. I don't know what to do or say. It's like I need a guide or something on how to talk to Kurt Hummel without hyperventilating. That's never happened to me before, at least not like this."

"Oh, brother, he really makes you nervous," Josh muttered, smiling. "You definitely like him more than anybody you've ever liked." As Blaine folded his arms in discomfort, he continued, "It's good, trust me. And you should go with your gut, which I bet is telling you to go for it. There are plenty of signs. Why would you bother inviting him here? Why would you want to introduce him to me and Mom? Why would you sing a duet with him? Why would you lie to him about liking another guy, and the most important part, why would you be so angry and sad about his reaction to it… if you didn't care that way about him?"

It was like Blaine had been showered with the key questions, so he responded with a comeback. "What would you do if you were me?"

"Me? Easy - I would run and jump into Kurt's arms. You know, the whole deal, instead of hiding like he was a ghost."

"I'm not afraid of ghosts."

"You were when you were little."

"Only because you made up crazy stories about them in the middle of the night to wake me up. And I was five! Whatever, forget it, this is worthless. I don't even understand myself."

"Isn't that a first? You were always so mature for your age… except when it came to relationships, of course. If you were, we wouldn't be in this situation right now. But I still love you, little brother."

"Love you too, Josh," Blaine said with sarcasm –the type that only Josh could get from him- but he noticed his brother was frowning now, like he was about to give him a life lesson. It was a look Blaine knew well.

"Sometimes… Sometimes we forget about the big truths of life, like… who said that being more than friends meant not being friends anymore? Dating is not screwing up what you already have, it's just taking it to the next level."

The idea left Blaine speechless and they didn't say a word about it again. They just enjoyed each other's company for a minute until they heard a knock on the door.

"It's open," Josh said.

Their mother appeared at the door with a plate full of pepperoni pizza. She looked tired and she wasn't wearing her glasses anymore. "Josh? I brought you… Oh, there you are, sweetie."

Josh immediately got up from the bed to get the plate and kiss his mother on the cheek. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

Then it was Blaine's turn to get up and go talk to her. He came out of Josh room, leaving his brother inside, and he almost closed the door. "I'm sorry for not having dinner with you two tonight," he apologized, taking his mother's hands in his.

"You look very sad. I noticed that your friends had left and then Josh told me you weren't gonna eat anything. Are you all right?" She pressed her hand to Blaine's forehead and to his neck, looking for a fever.

"I'm ok, I promise. It's something I gotta figure out on my own."

She didn't seem to believe him, but she still smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I understand. Just remember that I'm here for you if you ever need to talk. Oh, and you have some leftovers waiting for you in the fridge. I know it's only nine, but I'm really tired and I've got plans early in the morning."

Blaine hugged his mother. "Have a good night's sleep, Mom."

"You too. I'm really happy that you and your brother are getting along despite everything."

They smiled to each other and she slowly let him go. Blaine watched her get into her own room and he silently thanked her for being so awesome. Someday she would leave that job at the bank and she'd become famous because of her paintings and her great personality. That was a fact.

That was when he heard a cell phone ringing and he realized the sound was coming from Josh's bedroom. Was he getting a call from Boston? Blaine got closer to his almost closed door and he knew that it was bad to spy on his brother, but he couldn't help it. Blaine really didn't want him to go away now, when he'd just come back home.

"Anderson," Josh said when he picked up the call. "Yes, sir. Yes, I'm aware of that. How…? Can I…? Why? But…" he ran his trembling fingers through his thick black hair. "No, I don't feel that way. I know it's not my fault… You have to believe me, sir. It won't affect my performance… A week? No, no. I need to get back to work, the team needs me…"

Blaine frowned at the bits of the conversation he could hear, and he started to get worried when his brother didn't speak for a few, long seconds. Didn't Josh want to stay with his family? Why would he want to go back to Boston already?

"Yeah, I understand. I'll stay here. Just... please, let me know how it goes. Thank you, sir." Josh finished the call and stared at his phone, only to make a violent move with his arm like he wanted to throw the device to the floor and break it to pieces. However, Josh restrained himself from doing it and ended up putting the phone back in his pocket.

When Blaine saw Josh walking towards the door, he quickly ran towards his room and tried to make it look like he'd been there all the time. He couldn't understand anything of what Josh had told his boss. He was trying to figure out where to get more information when Josh himself knocked on his door. Blaine answered immediately.

"Hey," he said, trying to sound normal, although he was obviously nervous.

Josh waived his cell phone at him. "Sorry to bother you. I just got a call from Boston. Looks like the Sergeant's in a good mood."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he wanted to check on me. I told him that I'd like to stay here for a few more days and he allowed it. Weird for him, great for me… Well, great for us, right? I get to spend some more time with the family." Josh patted Blaine's shoulder and Blaine smiled.

"Of course, of course. Wonderful."

"Ok, gotta go to bed now. Long day tomorrow."

"Yeah… Long day," Blaine repeated, and he followed Josh with his gaze until he locked himself in his room again. The corridor looked empty and the entire situation seemed very suspicious.

That night, while eating some pizza from the fridge in the kitchen, Blaine's silent home made it all feel even worse than it felt before. Now he couldn't trust his brother, but he couldn't find the courage to ask him what was going on. He'd pretty much lost Kurt and disappointed Freddie but he couldn't find a way to tell them how sorry he was. It was clear that with the thought of Kurt and Freddie leaving and Josh staying, he would barely sleep.

Freddie's words echoed in Blaine's head.

When would he stop being such a boy and _grow some balls_?


	10. Music Therapy

**10**

**Music Therapy**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, Mercedes, OCs.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: I think this is the last OC that I'm going to introduce you to because I don't want to overwhelm you. I also hope you enjoy this chapter. The conversations at the bar turned out to be very fun to write.

*.*

**Music Therapy**

"Outrageous!"

"Inexplicable."

"Unbelievable!"

"Unexpected."

"Unforgettable!"

"Don't you think that's a little bit too much?"

"You can't tell me you're on his side."

"I'm not."

"Mercedes…" Kurt turned around the corner after several blocks and stopped at the bus station he'd arrived at two hours ago. He held his cell phone close to his ear, his hands shaking from anger. "I just don't get it, you know? Why would he do this to me? There is no reason for Blaine to come up with such a lie except that he wants to keep me as far away from him as possible! He obviously doesn't believe me that I'm over him."

"Maybe that's because you're not."

"Please, let's not get into that conversation again. I consciously want to be his friend. No matter what I feel, I know that there's nothing I can do to make him feel the same way. I just need to find someone else to crush on, that's all."

"And that's so easy, huh, boy?"

"Don't play the diva with me right now."

"Fine. Why don't we meet?"

"Where?"

"Rock Generations. It's a small bar a bit hidden from view so I'll see you at the Lima Bean and then we can walk there… Just breathe, Kurt. There's got to be an explanation for all of this."

"I hope so. Gonna hit the dorms and then I'll be on my way. See you there."

The bus was empty when Kurt got in at nine thirty. There was so much silence that he thought he could hear his own thoughts screaming, "Why did you do this to me? Did I do something to upset you? I've been nothing more than a good friend to you!"

Nothing more than a friend. Oh, the irony. Kurt shook his head and tried to stay calm on his way back to school. He was going to meet Mercedes and he was going to get enough time to vent about what had happened.

It was ten when he arrived at Dalton Academy. The few students that were still up despite Dalton's rules didn't even notice him and when Kurt reached the dorms and closed the door behind him, he felt like he wanted the earth to open and swallow him alive.

Freddie was there – frowning, breathing heavily, holding on to his cell phone like it was the last device on the universe that could connect him to human kind. He kept shaking his head and dialing like crazy. He looked exhausted and his ears were red.

Without saying a word, Kurt faced the situation. He could hear Freddie curse as apparently the person he was calling wasn't picking up. Kurt listened to him carefully, not wanting to disturb him as he went through his clothes to get a thicker scarf. A minute later he was in the bathroom, arranging his hair a bit, as it'd gotten too stiff. Rage wasn't good for his look. Kurt got out of the bathroom, grabbed his stuff and he was heading towards the door when Freddie threw his cell phone onto the bed and covered his face with his hands.

"I lost Paula," Freddie muttered, back turned to Kurt. "I followed her but she's a really good driver. There was no way I could catch her, I should have known."

Kurt felt like the biggest idiot in the world. He paused and turned around. He couldn't leave Freddie like that. "Listen, I..." he said, approaching him with his arms folded because his hands were now shaking from embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't my intention at all to damage your relationship. I didn't know anything about you having a girlfriend. I thought you were gay."

"And you believed that?"

"To be honest, information came from a pretty good source… It was Blaine."

"Blaine?" Freddie turned to Kurt, astonished. "Why would he…?" Then he seemed to understand everything. "Oh."

"Oh?"

"Interesting… very interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"Blaine and what he does," Freddie grinned a bit, looking for a moment like his old self. "It shows so much about his character and about his actual feelings."

"Then enlighten me, please. I don't get it. I hate this whole situation. It makes me so mad that he lied to me to push me away. He told me he liked you. The purpose was obviously to make me stay away. He doesn't want me around." Kurt realized that he was talking too fast and that this wasn't really about him. "By the way, you think he might like you even if you wouldn't reciprocate?"

"Reciprocate? No, no, a thousand times no. It doesn't matter that Blaine's gay and I'm straight. There's no way in hell he would like me like that. I'm not the kind of person he'd fall for. We've been friends for years now. Forget it."

"Ok. I still don't understand how we got here."

"I know," Freddie agreed. "I assume you left Blaine's house after the incident."

"Yeah."

"Understandable. You can't imagine the rage hammer that will land on him when I see him." Freddie made a fist with his hand and punched the air. "That is, of course, if you don't kill him first."

"Nah, I'm against violence. I will kill him with indifference if needed but right now… I don't know, I need some time… some space to figure things out," Kurt muttered, thoughtful. "If Blaine doesn't even want me as his friend anymore, then I should move on. Find other people who are ok with me being around them."

There was an awkward moment of silence until Freddie opened his mouth again. "So…"

"Again, I'm sorry about what happened."

Freddie took a deep breath and waived his hand. "It's fine."

"What? I thought you were mad."

"I am mad… at Blaine, not you. You didn't know," Freddie said. "And you can count on me. I don't mind having you around at all as my friend."

Kurt was speechless. He'd just seen a part of Freddie he hadn't noticed before – true kindness behind the eccentricity. "Thank you. I really appreciate it," he responded from the heart, and he had an idea. "You know, one of my friends from McKinley and I are going to a bar near the Lima Bean. They have people singing there. Would you like to join us? It'd lighten the mood."

Smiling, Freddie reached out for his cell phone again. "Thanks, but I'll stay here. Gotta leave Paula a billion messages where I beg her to take me back."

"Right. Good luck with that."

"Enjoy your show, Kurt."

Kurt waived Freddie goodbye and left the building thinking that not everything was lost today. Maybe Freddie was a bit of a nut job, but he knew when to be coherent when needed, and he'd been the one to bring the Warblers to Blaine's house as a gift to him and his family. Kurt had to find a way to help him get his girlfriend back.

The Lima Bean was full on a Saturday night and Kurt waited patiently at the door for Mercedes to arrive. She was there after five minutes, with arms wide open to hug Kurt. "Mercedes, you're here."

"Always, for my pretty white boy," she muttered, smiling. They walked together around the corner, her arm around his. "Now, you tell me everything, from the beginning. You were going to go shopping together. How did that go?"

"Very well. I had to convince him to wear the right clothes for a date, because he was completely clueless, but at the end, he came up with a nice outfit himself."

"So he impressed you."

"You could say that," Kurt agreed. "From that moment on, things went south. I met Freddie. He's a bit crazy, but he's a good guy. He even surprised Blaine with the Warblers tonight. He brought them there so we could sing for Blaine's family."

"That's a really nice gesture. So how did it go from that to all of you fighting? Oh, wait, you tell me once we're inside." Mercedes beckoned a door painted in green and frowned when she opened it, revealing an almost empty bar. "It's Saturday night. There's a show and everything. Where's everybody?" While she kept ranting, they sat at one of the tables, facing the little stage on the left. "What a mess. This place needs a lot more advertising for the weekends..."

Kurt went to get two cokes for them and when he was back at the table, he continued telling the story about how he and Blaine were done. "So I'm gonna say this very quickly because that's how it happened and there's not much I can explain. We sang, the Warblers left, Freddie's girlfriend arrived and I saw them, so I told Freddie he was being a jerk for leading Blaine on…"

"Ouch."

"Yeah. And then Paula thought Freddie was having an affair with Blaine, so she left in her car, and Freddie followed her. Then I was alone with Blaine and I stood up for myself." Yeah, Kurt sounded a bit cocky right now and he knew it, but Blaine deserved it, so it was fine.

"That's my Kurt!" Mercedes said, smiling for a moment and then she sipped her drink. "Did Blaine give you any explanations?"

"No! He said he didn't know why he'd lied. For all his confidence and his sexy, kind words, he looked like a deer caught in headlights." That was one of the details he couldn't figure out.

"Interesting."

"Ok, you're the second person to tell me that tonight. I ran into Freddie when I returned to Dalton. We're ok now, but he seems to believe Blaine's actions speak for themselves even if Blaine doesn't have a clue about what he wants."

Mercedes placed her coke at the table. "I was just thinking… Remember when we became friends? When you told me you were gay?"

"Yes?"

"I thought I had a chance with you because you were so nice to me, and you said that you liked Rachel."

That was it. Kurt rolled his eyes, hit by the answer to his questions. "Ah, you're right! He's covering something up. He likes someone who's not Freddie. Someone he doesn't want me to know about… Why wouldn't he trust me? I told him that he can tell me anything."

"I can't speak for him. You gotta ask him if you want to know. Who knows, maybe he's into you after all but he doesn't know how to say it."

"Mercedes, he's had a million chances to do it. That's clearly not the case. Plus, he doesn't even find me attractive. I'm his little gay friend, the one that needs counseling." It was the hard truth, but Kurt preferred it to the lies.

"You're being too hard on yourself. You're hot."

Kurt grinned. "I know that. Blaine just can't see it."

"Well, it's his loss."

They raised a toast and laughed for a little while, telling each other jokes about how good Kurt looked in his skinny jeans and how Mercedes knew some girls reacted to the fact that he was gay. It was only a matter of time for someone to go on stage and start arranging a chair and a microphone. It was a nice looking guy dressed in black with some tattoos in his bare arms. He was definitely getting everything ready for the show.

"Shows here are awesome. Especially when it's just him and his guitar," Mercedes muttered.

"What? He's the entertainer tonight?"

"Yep. His name's Joel."

"You know him?"

"I've talked to him a few times, asked him if he's ever considered doing this professionally. I think he's too caught by real life to even dream of being a real musician, but he's got what it takes, believe me."

"He's also cute," Kurt muttered, elbowing his friend and making her laugh.

"He's got a girlfriend and he's not my type. He's really talented, though. Just watch."

Kurt did as he was told and he remained silent until the guy grabbed the guitar and sat on the chair. Reaching for the mic, he greeted, "Hello, everybody. My name's Joel. This is my song tonight, by Nickelback. Enjoy."

His voice was clear, deep and beautiful, Kurt had to admit, and he knew how to make a good use of that guitar.

_Never made it as a wise man_

_I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing_

_Tired of living like a blind man_

_I'm sick of sight without a sense of feeling_

_And this is how you remind me_

_This is how you remind me_

_Of what I really am_

_This is how you remind me_

_Of what I really am_

There was something about the way Joel moved his fingers while playing the guitar that made Kurt shiver, like he was hypnotized. Joel closed his eyes when singing the second verse, lost into the music. A strand of hair fell onto his forehead, the darkness of it making a contrast with his pale skin.

_It's not like you didn't know that_

_I said I love you and I swear I still do_

_And it must have been so bad_

_Cause living with me must have damn near killed you_

_And this is how, you remind me_

_Of what I really am_

_This is how, you remind me_

_Of what I really am_

The chorus exploded with the sound of his voice, tones experimental but calculated. He looked and sounded so very cool.

_It's not like you to say sorry_

_I was waiting on a different story_

_This time I'm mistaken_

_F__or handing you a heart worth breaking_

_And I've been wrong, i've been down,_

_B__een to the bottom of every bottle_

_T__hese five words in my head_

_S__cream "are we having fun yet?"_

_Y__eah, yeah, yeah, no, no_

_Y__eah, yeah, yeah, no, no_

It was only when Mercedes elbowed him that Kurt realized he'd been staring at Joel's spot on stage, even after he'd left it. "He's awesome, right?" Mercedes asked him, laughing. Then she raised her hand, calling, "Joel, here! Joel!"

Joel was now putting the instrument into the guitar case beside the stage, like he was about to leave already, but when he noticed Mercedes waving at him, he seemed to forget about his stuff. "Mercedes, welcome yet again," Joel greeted her. "It's great to see you here."

"It's my pleasure to be at Rock Generations. I mean, that was awesome."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, you should," she said, and then she introduce the two boys. "Joel, Kurt. Kurt, Joel."

Nodding, Joel gave Kurt only a little smile. "Hello."

"Hi," Kurt responded, showing him his best smile, and then they shook hands. "I love your performance. Your voice's amazing."

Joel simply snorted. "Is this some kind of joke?" he turned to the bartender. "Hey T.J., did you pay him to tease me?"

"Wasn't me this time! Ask Tom!"

"Damn," Joel turned to Mercedes again. "I bet you didn't pay him. Kurt, who paid you?"

Kurt frowned, confused. "Um… Nobody? Why would I lie about liking the show?"

"The place itself… it's a mess. If I owned it, you can be sure it wouldn't suck this much, but then again - I just play and sing here for fun, make a couple of extra bucks, nothing major… Mercedes, why don't you sing for us? I bet we'd get a thousand people knocking down the door in a minute."

"You're sweet, but tonight I'm having a good time with Kurt, that's all." Her face lightened up all of a sudden and Kurt frowned in fear. "Hey, I've got an idea! What if Kurt sings tonight?"

"You sing?" Joel asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think it's the time or the place…"

"C'mon, Kurt. What if you sing a song that represents how you feel right now? Music is like therapy to us. It always helps us vent."

"True," Joel agreed. "I can help with the guitar if you're up for it."

It was risky, but also exciting. What could Kurt lose? Singing usually made him feel like he'd lifted a weight off his shoulders. "Ok, fine. I'm just worried that this audience is not suited for the kind of songs I perform…"

Joel turned to the audience. "You've got two drunk women and an almost deaf old guy. Even if you sang an entire Marilyn Manson album, I don't think they'd notice."

"Noted," Kurt muttered. "Let's do this."

As he thought about Blaine and the disaster the night had been so far, he and Joel got on the stage again and Joel beckoned the chair he'd used before. Kurt sat there, watching the audience who was staring back without much interest, then grabbed the mic and introduced himself. "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Kurt Hummel and this is 'Soulmate' by Natasha Beddingfield." And then, he looked at Joel, who nodded and started playing the guitar. Kurt closed his eyes and started singing with a sadness he didn't know he was holding in.

_Incompatible, it don't matter though_

_'Cause someone's bound to hear my cry_

_Speak out if you do, you're not easy to find_

_Is it possible Mr. Lovable is already in my life?_

_Right in front of me or maybe you're in disguise_

Kurt opened his eyes. No one was moving. The women weren't talking, they were listening. The old man was just there, watching. Mercedes was smiling and it was a good sign for Kurt to continue.

_Who doesn't long for someone to hold_

_Who knows how to love you without being told_

_Somebody tell me why I'm on my own_

_If there's a soulmate for everyone_

Those were questions that he'd asked himself many times, not knowing if he'd ever be able to kiss someone without being afraid of them leaving, or if he'd ever even find anyone who would want to be with him in the first place.

_Here we are again, circles never end_

_How do I find the perfect fit?_

_There's enough for everyone_

_But I'm still waiting in line_

Kurt had thought Blaine was the one, the perfect boy to start his first relationship with, if he was lucky enough to have him. Now he knew that it'd all been in his head and that they couldn't even be friends. Why was Kurt Hummel so alone? Wasn't everybody supposed to deserve love?

_Who doesn't long for someone to hold_

_Who knows how to love you without being told_

_Somebody tell me why I'm on my own_

_If there's a soulmate for everyone_

The drunk women smiled a bit and the old guy was getting asleep, but Mercedes clapped like her life depended on it, and Kurt was more than satisfied to see her there, always cheering for him. She was right - he'd gotten his feelings out there. Music therapy was what he needed.

As Joel picked up his guitar again, Kurt approached him. "Thanks so much, it was wonderful."

"Hey, you're not so bad yourself. You've got a really good voice. I bet you can reach impossibly high notes."

"Actually, you are right about that," Kurt said proudly. "I think the blonde woman kind of smiled at me at the end – I'm gonna take that as a compliment and not as the beginning of a laugh."

"You should," Joel responded. They got off the stage together. "You sounded like you had a broken heart." He started getting his guitar back into the case, just like he'd done before, and when Kurt didn't say anything about his last comment, he turned to him to apologize. "I didn't mean to upset you, maybe I was wrong."

He seemed to be truly worried about whether he'd made Kurt feel uncomfortable or not, and Kurt couldn't do anything but smile and be honest. "It's ok. You weren't. I do have a broken heart, so to speak. I thought I had something with somebody. It turned out it was all in my head."

Joel took a deep breath. "Well, at least you didn't live an actual lie for two years…" He stopped himself. "Sorry. I digress. Why don't you and Mercedes stay for a little while? I'll get you free drinks."

Kurt thought he was a nice person to have around. "Sure, why not?" he muttered, and he and Joel joined Mercedes at her table.

That night, between cokes and some beers, they had fun talking about their performances, Kurt's voice, Mercedes' passion when singing and Joel's first tattoo. Being part of that group and those conversations were like fresh air for Kurt. It cleared his head from all the pain and the sadness Blaine had brought to his heart. Kurt had never guessed that meeting Joel would be the best thing to happen that night.


	11. Competition

**11**

**Competition**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OCs.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: Sorry! Long week to post again. I had a very hectic week and I needed to sleep in order to not look like a useless robot the next morning, so I couldn't stay late to keep writing. But here it is! Hope you enjoy.

*.*

**Competition**

The day after the Most Embarrassing Moment besides the Gap Fiasco, Blaine woke up feeling like he wanted to throw up. It took him twenty minutes to get out of bed, when he usually needed ten. Even his brother got worried and brought their mother to his bedroom for her to find out whether Blaine was ill or not.

"Sweetie…" she muttered as she checked his temperature. "You're hot, but… no. You're not sick. Are you all right? Is this because of what happened last night with your friends?"

"I don't think so," Blaine said, trying to sound convincing. "I'll be down in a minute, I'm just too tired."

"Ok, but let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks."

Blaine's mother went out the door and Josh went in, leaning on the doorframe. "Hey, little brother."

"Don't say anything, ok? I've got enough with my own thoughts," Blaine immediately said, getting up to get dressed. He closed the door slowly and after making himself look more decent, he went downstairs. His mother was talking about her ex-husband and how she was happy back then when they had started seeing each other dating many years ago. Even if the outcome of that relationship had been a divorce and two children, the loveliness of their first dates was a recurrent topic.

"Ah, I remember when he bought me a present for the first time," she muttered, and she sipped her coffee before adding, "I'd never thought a book about leafs would be so romantic."

"Leafs?" Josh asked, because that was something she'd never mentioned before.

"Yeah, leafs. He marked the ones that had the shape of a heart."

Blaine felt his heart warm inside at the thought of that. "That's sweet," he commented as he grabbed his favorite red mug with and poured some coffee in it. "It's hard to believe that you hit it off so well and how it all ended…" he made himself stop when he realized he was already talking about his own feelings without noticing it. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to bring the bad memories back."

His mother got up and hugged him. "That's fine, Blaine. We can't change the past."

"Did he ever apologize for what happened?" Josh wanted to know as he ate a cookie.

"No."

"But it wouldn't have worked anyway, right?" Blaine asked. "Even if he tried, the damage was done. You had already decided to get a divorce. There was no turning back on that decision."

She sat at the table with her coffee, thoughtful. "I don't know. Sometimes saying I'm sorry can mean the world, if it comes from the heart at the right moment."

"Mom, c'mon. Cheer up. I'll make you some French toasts," Josh said, but Blaine's mind was somewhere else entirely.

Could a simple 'I'm sorry' fix everything between Kurt and Blaine? Of course Blaine had considered that as the first step towards forgiveness, but Kurt was kind of stubborn once he'd been let down. An apology wouldn't be enough, but Blaine didn't know what else he could do to gain Kurt's trust back…

He had to try, though. It was Sunday, and Kurt always went home when he was mad at the world. Being with his family meant finding himself again. Maybe if Blaine went to see him, he could…

"Earth to Blaine…"

"Huh?" Blaine finally reacted to Josh's calls, realizing that for a moment he'd forgotten where he was.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Blaine took a deep breath and left his mug on the table. His brother was offering him some French toasts. "Ah, thanks, but I think I'll pass. I have to apologize to someone. Sorry, guys, I love you but I have to go."

In a minute, he went upstairs, grabbed his keys and his wallet and left the house. He ran towards the bus stop a few blocks away and rubbed his hands nervously as he waited. When the bus arrived, it felt like glory, but the ride was pure hell. Anxiety was killing Blaine until he finally saw his stop and got off the vehicle.

He was almost there, so near Kurt's house. Of course the guy didn't have a fixed schedule, so maybe Blaine would have to wait for him there… Finding him at home was a long shot since it was 10 am, but it was worth trying.

And there he was, about to walk around the corner. Kurt was looking as fabulous as always and today he was rocking his shades. Blaine ran towards him and greeted him, "Hey, Kurt."

Kurt froze at the sight of him, then kept walking. "I'm sorry but I had a long night and I don't feel like talking to you right now."

"But you're doing it already…" That only caused Kurt to shake his head and keep going, like Blaine didn't exist. "Ok, ok, that wasn't the right thing to say, I know." Blaine followed him without thinking it twice, and he didn't care about the fact that it sounded like he was begging Kurt to forgive him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about last night… about everything. I didn't… I wasn't thinking straight, I don't know what's wrong with me but I do know that I made a huge mistake and I that I owe you an apology."

Kurt turned around and faced him with a poker face from under his shades. "Why did you lie to me?"

Ok, Blaine was not expecting that question to come up again right now. "I…"

"So you still don't know." Kurt took a deep breath. "Fine. I won't forgive you until you explain at the very least." Then he went around the corner, with Blaine still following him closely.

"I can. I will. Can I see you later?"

"I don't think that's possible. I've got to meet someone."

Blaine smiled, thinking that might be a good excuse to spend some time with Kurt. "Who? Rachel, Mercedes? Maybe I can come along?"

"No, no and no," Kurt responded. "For the record, I'd like to see Joel alone."

Was that clarification needed? Was it revenge? It could be, but it definitely didn't sound like that, from the way Kurt said it. Still, the idea of him meeting that guy made Blaine feel like he wanted to punch something, so he repeated, "Joel."

"Yes. I'm sorry, is that a problem?" Kurt asked, apparently oblivious to the effect his own words had on Blaine.

"No. Of course not." That was the right answer. What could Blaine say after what had happened and after Kurt's comeback about Joel?

"Good. I have to go now. Have a nice day."

Kurt crossed the street without looking back and Blaine felt like his world was falling apart. He watched him disappear around the next corner, knowing that he was going to meet another guy and that they would be alone.

Joel.

Crap, why did the word sound so horrible all of a sudden? It was just a name. Blaine stood there, trying to stop himself from running and following Kurt like a mad man because really, wasn't spying on your friend being with his boyfriend a low, desperate move?

Well, lying was also a very bad idea from the very beginning and Blaine had already done it. Spying didn't seem that bad. Kurt was already angry and Blaine had the urge to see who this Joel guy was. Was he good enough for Kurt? Was he gentle? Did he like romance, just like Kurt did?

Yes, this was all about Kurt, about what he needed, about what made him happy. About what he deserved. It was not, under any circumstances, about Blaine, because Blaine did not care who Kurt dated. At least not that way.

A guy in a motorcycle passed close to him and Blaine jumped on his feet, avoiding getting hit. He started following Kurt closely without him noticing, and after walking several blocks, he saw him stop at Rock Generations. Blaine went in after Kurt and stood near the door while the other boy asked the bartender where Joel was. The bartender told him something and Kurt seemed to be waiting for someone. In the meantime, Blaine sat at one of the tables and grabbed an old magazine he found on a chair to cover his face.

"Joel!" Blaine called, and he was smiling like a happy boy –maybe a boy in love- when he saw a young man come out of the two staff only doors.

"Kurt, what's up? How are you?" Joel asked, and Blaine had a bad feeling about him. It wasn't about the dark clothes or the tattoos, because the guy clearly wasn't a goth or an emo kid. He seemed to have a strange style of his own, just like Kurt had his own way to dress himself. The idea of the two of them sharing a love for fashion only mad Blaine feel even worse.

He watched them talk in whispers for a minute and he hated himself for not been able to read people's lips. Why had he never tried to develop such talent? If he'd known he'd need it today… but wait. Kurt and Joel seemed to be fighting now. Judging from their faces and their gestures, they were not having a happy conversation.

Suddenly, Kurt shook his head and took a deep breath. Joel place a hand on the boy's shoulder and Blaine shivered. Then Kurt walked into the staff only door and disappeared, which was weird because as far as Blaine knew, Kurt was not working there. Not that he had to know everything about what Kurt did or didn't do, of course.

Joel grabbed a broomstick and started mopping the floor a bit, but damn it, he'd noticed Blaine in the corner and he was walking towards him… "Hello, my name's…"

Even the sound of his voice made Blaine want to kill him. Without being able to hold back, he dropped the magazine and stated, "Joel. You're Joel."

A bit confused, Joel frowned. "Uh, yeah… Can I help you?"

"You were talking to Kurt. You two were fighting."

"We weren't… oh." The frown disappeared from Joel's face. "I get it. You're the guy who broke his heart."

What the hell? Blaine felt like he had to defend himself from such atrocity being said. "I didn't… You don't know anything!"

Joel placed a hand on the table and he said with a threatening voice, "And you don't know crap about what you did to Kurt, so get lost."

Ah, that was pretty funny. Blaine got up from the chair to face him. "Nah, forget it," he muttered with irony. "He's my friend and you're a douchebag. You're not good for each other."

Raising his eyebrows, Joel laughed. "Wow! Hold on, there. I'm gonna be the mature person here for the sake of this conversation, so I'm gonna let it pass that you just insulted me," he said. "on the other hand, I'm going to point out that you don't have any right to decide what is good for Kurt or not. So what if he and I get together to talk? It's none of your business, get it?"

"No, I don't 'get it.' You're not good for him. You're not good for anybody, look at you."

"You don't know me."

"Yeah, I do. You're the kind of person who doesn't know what he wants from people, so you push them away by hurting them!" It was like the words were rolling out of Blaine's tongue, he couldn't stop. "And now you're ruined everything!"

"No, I haven't!" Joel clarified. "You've done it yourself, you dumbass. Now get the hell out of my bar."

"Oh, so it's your bar now. Things change so quickly here. You don't just perform or serve here, you own it."

"So what if I do? You have a problem with that?" Joel got closer to Blaine and Blaine made a step forward.

"Actually, I do…"

Joel's hands were suddenly on his clothes as Blaine tried to get away from him and also press him against the nearest wall. However, Joel was a bit taller than him and he definitely had a little too much energy. Blaine was losing the fight when the bartender approached them and make Joel let him go.

"Joel, you know the freaking rules! No fights in here! If there's anything you two gotta discuss, you do it outside! Now, chill!"

"I can't chill when I have an idiot threatening me at my own bar by calling me names and making very stupid accusations!" Joel explained, breathing heavily. However, it didn't look like he wanted to finish the fight. He went running towards his guitar, which was placed beside the stage at the moment.

"Shut up!" The bartender turned to Blaine. "And you, sit down and buy a drink, or get lost if you don't want me to call the Police!"

"What's he doing?" Blaine asked, his eyes fixed on Joel's figure instead of the bartender's. Joel was climbing the stage with his guitar and with an angry look on his face.

"What's going on? You don't look ok. You gonna play a song now?" the bartender yelled at him.

"Yeah, whatever, T.J.," Joel said, sweat dripping down his forehead as he madly started a rock song. "This one's for the gentlemen near the door. Some Ashley Simpson for you… Boyfriend, ha ha."

Blaine frowned when he heard the lyrics. Were they a joke?

_Whatcha been doin'? Whatcha been doin?__  
><em>_Whoa, Whoa,__  
><em>_Haven't seen ya 'round,_

_How you been feelin'? How you been feelin'?__  
><em>_Whoa, whoa,__  
><em>_Don't you bring me down,__  
><em>

_All that stuff about me,__  
><em>_Being with him,__  
><em>_Can't believe,__  
><em>_All the lies that you told,__  
><em>_Just to ease your own soul,__  
><em>_But I'm bigger than that,__  
><em>_No, you don't have my back,__  
><em>_No, No, HA_

The sound of the guitar alone was strange but the only thing Blaine could focus on was Joel's clear voice.

_Hey, how long till the music drowns you out?__  
><em>_Don't put words up in my mouth,__  
><em>_I didn't steal your boyfriend,_

_Hey, how long till you face what's goin' on,__  
><em>_Cause you really got it wrong,__  
><em>_I didn't steal your boyfriend,__  
><em>

Joel laughed as he went to the next verse, and Blaine didn't leave at that point simply because he didn't want to seem weak before him.

_Well I'm sorry,__  
><em>_That he called me,__  
><em>_And that I answered the telephone,_

_Don't be worried,__  
><em>_I'm not with him,__  
><em>_And when I go out tonight,__  
><em>_I'm going home alone,_

_Just got back from my tour,__  
><em>_I'm a mess girl for sure,__  
><em>_All I want is some fun,__  
><em>_Guess that I'd better run,__  
><em>_Hollywood sucks you in,__  
><em>_But it won't spit me out,__  
><em>_Whoa Whoa, HA_

The guitar sound got heavier as Joel played it with anger.

_Please stop telling all your friends,__  
><em>_I'm getting sick of them,__  
><em>_Always staring at me like I took him from ya'_

_Hey, how long till you look at your own life,__  
><em>_Instead of looking into mine,__  
><em>_I didn't steal your boyfriend,__  
><em>_Hey, how long till you're leaving me alone,__  
><em>_Don't you got somewhere to go?__  
><em>_I didn't steal your boyfriend,__  
><em>

And then Kurt appeared. He'd just been back at the main room and he was now watching Joel play, looking like he had no clue about what was happening. His eyes finally landed on Blaine and he seemed speechless.

_Whoa, whoa, whoa, ha,__  
><em>_Whoa, I didn't steal your boyfriend,__  
><em>_Whoa, whoa, whoa, ha,__  
><em>_Whoa, I didn't steal your boyfriend_

Before Kurt could even ask what was going on, Blaine turned around and ran towards the door. He was panicking and it sucked but he couldn't bear to look at him in the eyes. He had to leave, he had to get as far away from the bar as possible. Blaine was embarrassed and exposed and he hated every second of it, because deep down inside, he knew that the person who'd caused trouble wasn't really him. How could Blaine explain that he'd just gotten into a fight with Joel because he'd assumed that Kurt had already moved onto another guy? That wasn't him

How could he do that and still convince everybody that he didn't have feelings for Kurt?


	12. Shame on you!

**12**

**Shame on you!**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OCs.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: Sorry that it took me so long to answer your comments! It's been –yet again- a hectic week at work. Oh, and one more thing – I strongly encourage everyone to point out any mistakes I make, that is the only way I can get better!

*.*

**Shame on you!**

"Stop the music, it's not funny!" Kurt yelled at Joel, making him drop his guitar, and then he ran outside the bar. Blaine was less than half a block away. "Blaine! Stop there, now! Blaine!"

Blaine turned around to face Kurt, all red and mad. "You're gonna tell me that I ruined your day, right?"

"You just fought with a friend of mine in the middle of that bar. He could have gotten fired!"

"So he's your friend. Right," Blaine repeated with anger. "Even if that's a lie and I don't believe it for a second, he's not good for you."

"You don't know that. You don't know him. You don't know what we are and I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Oh, it's not necessary. I know you're together, whatever. And I know enough about him from hearing him play that song. Clearly, he's shameless."

Kurt couldn't help with smile but he didn't make any clarifications about whether Joel was his friend or something more. The sarcastic comments just started rolling out of his tongue. "I get it. So now you're the one who judges whether people care about others and their actions or not. Do I need to remind you that you lied to me about Freddie for days, that you let me make him break up with his girlfriend and that you don't even know why you did it?"

"Listen to me, Kurt. I know what I said but I can tell you that I didn't do it to push you away."

"That explanation is not good enough. You gotta offer a reason. And why are you even here? I doubt you came to tell me that you have nothing new to say."

There was no answer. Blaine just swallowed and offered nothing.

Kurt was tired of seeing that picture. "See?" he said. "I can't do this thing with you where you have these weird reactions and then stare blankly at me expecting me to accept them without getting worried or mad. I'm sorry but this is absurd. Why can't you act like a normal person, figure out what you want to do and then talk to me quietly?"

"I care about you. This Joel guy…"

"I mentioned him once. It's not your responsibility to check who I hang out with. I can take care of myself. Believe it or not, my entire life does not depend on you. I certainly don't need my mentor picking up a fight with my friends for stupid reasons."

"Hey! He started it, I didn't…"

"I don't care who started it," Kurt snapped, not believing how childish Blaine was being. "I'm talking to you and you gotta decide what the hell it is that you want from me, because right now, I don't have a freaking clue. You say you don't like me back, that you want to stay friends, and that's totally fine, but this is not you being my friend. You're making it very hard for me to forgive you for what you did."

"You have no idea what you're doing. You don't understand..."

"Really? I'm the one who doesn't understand, yet I'm the one asking for answers I'm not getting! You know what? Shame on you, Blaine! I'm going inside."

Leaving Blaine on the street, Kurt turned around and didn't look back. He went back into the bar and saw the bartender T.J. cleaning a couple of tables as he talked about what had just happened.

"Having the nerve to storm in here and cause such a mess, and I'm not proud of you either, Joel, but…" T. J. commented, "what the hell was wrong with that kid?"

Joel, who was cleaning with him and not around his guitar, answered, "Nothing. He just really, really likes Kurt. That's good news, right?"

Having heard them, Kurt approached Joel and said, "Shut up, I don't want to talk to you either. Singing that song to him was cruel."

"I only did it to make him react."

"React to what? To the fact that loves me or something? That's ridiculous. And what do you know about Blaine anyway? Nothing, you just met him. You can't make any theory about his behavior."

Raising his eyebrows, Joel left the cloth he was using on the table so that he could look at Kurt in the eyes. "So you defend him now?"

"I don't defend him - in fact I just had a very heated conversation with him for the hundredth time, where I told him to get over himself and to think about what he wants from our relationship."

"You know what he wants," Joel muttered with a monotonous tone.

"I don't!" Kurt insisted, exhausted, and he rubbed his forehead. "God, you're making me really angry."

"Will you tell Mercedes about it?"

Kurt frowned. "Mercedes? What does she have to do with…? Oh," he realized what Joel may be saying. "_Oh._I didn't know you two…"

Joel raised a hand. "We're not. And she's not my type."

"What do you mean? She's fabulous."

"I'm not saying the opposite. I'm just… I don't know. I don't feel that way about her, and she certainly doesn't feel that way about me."

Now it was Kurt's turn to stare blankly at Joel. "Ok. I don't understand why you're worried that I mention this incident to her, but whatever. I'm starting to believe that all men are crazy anyway," Kurt muttered, and he sighed. "Including you. Maybe I should go."

Kurt went to grab his things, but Joel grabbed his arm slightly. "Hey, wait…" He signed him to go near the counter and then spoke in whispers. "Why don't I offer something that's kind of a secret instead? Just to make up for what I did? After all, I lied to you."

"What? Why did you lie? About what? What is it?" Kurt's head was about to explode. He'd found a new friend and now he was about to hear a confession?

"Ok… this is gonna be ugly," Joel shook his head. "Joel's not my first name."

Kurt immediately rolled his eyes and covered his face with his palms. "Oh God, what is it with people with fake names and weird nicknames?"

"Sorry?"

"Nothing. But you definitely have to meet Blaine's friend, Freddie. It would be like two distant planets crashing into each other."

"I don't know what that means in this context."

"It's not important. Let's move on. What's your real name?" Kurt leaned on the counter.

"Joel is my last name."

"Huh. So you have two names for first name and last name. You're like… Billy Joel?"

"Yes. And for the record, I hate him."

"Wha…? How can you hate Billy Joel? Piano man, A matter of trust, do any of those titles sound familiar? He's awesome!"

"You're not gonna make me change my mind. I'm happy hating him."

Kurt folded his arms, raising an eyebrow. "You're stubborn."

Joel leaned on the counter beside him, looking cocky. "Yes, but I'm still comfortable in my pretty, little, hate-Billy-Joel world. And my first name's Dylan."

"Ok… _Dylan._ Sounds weird. I had gotten used to calling you Joel. Does Mercedes know?"

"Yeah. I asked her to not use my real name, though. I only tell people I trust."

So that was a sign that Joel liked him, respected him and trusted him. Kurt felt like it would take some time for him to get over the fight episode but this was a start. "Why don't you let more people know? It's not like it's that big of a secret."

"For me, it is. My parents… I don't think they want to hear about me, really…" Joel closed his eyes for a moment. "When I sang here for the first time, I'd just left home because they were getting a divorce and the atmosphere was a mess. They were fighting all the time and they didn't even pay any attention to me anyway. I couldn't stand it anymore. It's like I wasn't there, so I figured I'd go find myself a new life. I went to community college… I'm still taking some classes."

"What classes?"

"Mostly related with music. And some poetry."

"That's nice."

"I don't know if it's nice, but I like it." Joel smiled. "My parents never looked for me and I made a promise to never come back. They'd always told me that I'd never do anything good with myself and I believe it for a long time. Then singing here changed everything. It wasn't a hobby anymore, it was a job and who knows, maybe a career. It helped me hold myself together. It was like all those things my mom and dad had told me were slowly starting to disappear. Eventually, life improved."

Touched by the story, Kurt took a deep breath. "Wow. When you say it like that, my problems seem so easy…"

"Ha. Matters of the heart, like you mentioned last night," Joel muttered. "His name's Blaine, right?"

"Yeah… I hope that the fact that I'm gay doesn't make you uncomfortable." Kurt was a little bit afraid of the answer no matter how much more confident he was now than a year ago.

Joel –Dylan – didn't seem to mind. "Of course not. It seems that sometimes relationships between guys get more complicated than the ones between a boy and a girl. I had a gay friend a long time ago, but when I moved out, he also moved to California with one of his boyfriends. Trust me, it took them forever to get together. I was tired of seeing them flirt and fool around and never getting to the good stuff. It was so frustrating."

Kurt laughed. "But you're straight, right?"

"Yep. Straight but I don't judge others. People like who they like. It's cool. And speaking of Blaine, believe it or not I understand what you're going through. You can't hate the one you love, no matter how much they hurt you. It's a law of nature. You said that you two had never even started… a relationship, I guess."

"That's right. I was bullied at my old school, so I transferred to Dalton Academy."

"Rich kids, huh?"

"Not so much. I'm not rich and I still go there," Kurt explained, echoing Blaine's words from a few days ago, and he felt sad about it. "Anyway, Blaine was this lead singer at their… let's call it 'music club.¡ He's gay and out and proud and charming and of course I knew I'd fall for him."

"But he had other plans, huh?" Joel asked, like he knew all the answers already.

Kurt sighed. "He felt attracted to other people. God, I even helped him serenade to one of them while it killed me inside, but I did it all for him. I ever told him that I liked him. He kept me in the friend zone."

"I'm sorry. Sometimes that happens."

"I know. But then he started acting weird. He invented a story about being in love with another guy. Last night I found out it wasn't true. I didn't do anything to upset him, I'm pretty sure…" Kurt frowned, feeling a bit nervous. "Joel… Dylan… whatever. You look… thoughtful. And scary."

In fact, Joel –Dylan, damn it- had psycho eyes. It seemed that his eyeballs were going to drop from his face, until he took a deep breath and concluded, "I bet he's just scared… of being in love with you, or of the potential of your relationship."

Again? Why was the conversation going back to the beginning? "No, no, you got it all wrong. He's not in love with me."

"Really? Then what the hell was that possessive behavior in the bar? Fighting and yelling at your potential boyfriend?"

"Oh, that's funny," Kurt said, and he laughed a bit, but Dylan seemed to be totally serious as he raised a hand again.

"As far as he knows, you're meeting a guy he hasn't met, alone on a Sunday morning at a bar. It does sound like you're having a secret affair, and I bet you didn't tell him that there is nothing between us."

"What? I…"

"You let him wonder," Dylan interrupted him and Kurt couldn't help but stare at the tattoos in his arms as he spoke. "You want to make him jealous."

That sounded like an insult. "You're wrong. That would be a low move."

"Or exactly what Blaine deserves, if you think about it." Dylan… Joel… well, the name didn't matter anymore. He was cleaning the counter now with a new cloth and he was humming a song. When he stopped, he turned to Kurt and asked, "So you told me you wanted to sing here this afternoon?"

His voice sounded like he was far away. "Yeah."

Dylan threw the cloth on the counter and yelled, "T. J., I'm gonna take a long break!"

The bartender, who was still cleaning the tables, turned around with an angry look on his face. "You're slack! Why?"

"Because we have _no customers_ anyway!" Dylan responded, and then he went to grab his guitar, but Kurt didn't move from where he was, so Dylan came back. "Are you ok?"

Kurt cleared his throat. "Um… Sure."

"C'mon… Is there anything you want to say to Blaine right now? Something that would make you feel better?" Dylan asked, and he placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "You can pick any song you want. Who knows, maybe about misunderstandings?"

"This wasn't a misunderstanding. Blaine came here and ruined our day by making the wrong assumptions," Kurt suddenly stated, feeling excited and fearless. "Yeah. I've got one song in mind."

He's made his point. However, as he worked on the performance of a song that was exactly the opposite of what he felt at the moment, he knew that he was letting Blaine believe what he wanted. He sang the first verse and felt the guilt. Even if Blaine was acting crazy, Kurt had lied to Mercedes, to Dylan, to everyone including himself. Why was he making Blaine suffer when deep down inside, he knew he still loved him?

Oh, Kurt, Kurt, Kurt… Shame on you, too.


	13. If it's wrong to love you

**13**

**If it's wrong to love you**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, mention of OC.

Rating (this chapter): PG-13.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Summary: Blaine discovers why he's been acting so weird lately.

Author's note: This had to happen. I am so sorry. Hope you like it, though.

*.*

**If it's wrong to love you**

Now that was probably Blaine's worst exit ever.

Telling Kurt that he had rights over his decisions? That a guy Blaine barely knew was bad for him? And that even if he'd been a jerk for days, Kurt should forgive him? What the hell was Blaine thinking about?

He turned around the corner and could feel the rage burning through his veins. Really, because he'd been wrong, but Kurt was no saint. Kurt had treated him with indifference, like what he and Blaine had meant nothing – as if they hadn't had deep conversations about relationships or gay life, as if they weren't even real friends!

Thinking about Kurt was all he could do on the way home. His mother would be gone already but he expected to find Josh there, at least to talk about what had happened. Instead, he found a note stick to the fridge in the kitchen. "Mom's out – big day for her! I went out. Love and kisses, Josh."

Not even that joke made him laugh. "Great… whatever," Blaine muttered, leaning against the fridge. Damn. He was trying to blame Kurt but this was all his own fault… He'd done all the wrong things, and what was even worse, he still didn't know why.

He picked up the phone and stared at it for a second. He needed to talk to someone, he needed to tell them about Josh's secret, about Kurt… He dialed Freddie's number without caring about the consequences, and soon his friend picked up the call.

"Hello."

One word and Blaine had lost his confidence. His heartbeats got faster with embarrassment as he mumbled, "Hey, it's me… um, Blaine."

Freddie's voice came out rough and steady. "I'm still mad at you."

"I bet you are. And you're right."

"You're not going to win me back by telling me that. Although I do like to hear it every once in a while."

Blaine licked his lips, then muttered, "Were you able to talk to Paula?"

"Nope. In fact, I gotta keep calling her. Gotta go."

"Oh, sure. I get it… I'm sorry that I bothered you. I'm gonna hung up now."

Freddie didn't say anything else and Blaine took it as a sign that he should let him go. He hung up and could feel the silence in the house. Well, it was obvious that it was going to take Freddie some time to be ok with him again, not the mention that Blaine had to tell Laura that what had happened last night was a big misunderstanding.

Blaine took a deep breath and suddenly realized something – he didn't mind that much not talking to Freddie. Maybe it was because he'd been away for so long that Blaine didn't miss him that much.

At least not as much as he missed Kurt already.

Kurt, who's been through all this crap with Blaine and therefore had the right not to talk to him again.

Sighing, Blaine opened the fridge and made himself a sandwich since he'd barely eaten since breakfast. Then he turned on the TV and stopped at the music channel. Music from the 90s was coming, nice and soothing. The announcement didn't thrill him as usual, even if his song choices were more Top 40. He still couldn't put a finger on what was bothering him so much about Kurt, and the intensity of that confusion was consuming all of his energy.

He wanted Kurt to listen to him and to understand that he didn't know what he was doing. Couldn't that be an option? If only it were so easy. Kurt's ultimatum that Blaine should figure out what he wanted from their relationship had been hard on him, but Blaine didn't expect less from Kurt. If he put himself in Kurt's shoes and he'd confessed his love to the guy he liked to get rejected and then get mixed signals, then Blaine was sure he'd do the same thing.

Mixed signals. Yeah, Blaine had to admit that he was confused and that he was confusing everyone else about what he wanted from Kurt. Showing up at the bar and acting like a jealous boyfriend wasn't the best move ever.

It couldn't be… No, it definitely wasn't that he had actual feelings for Kurt. No. He was Kurt's mentor. It didn't matter if he liked him that way. It was wrong and he wouldn't take advantage of him, even if he was dying inside to…

Wait, why was Blaine thinking about Kurt and boyfriends again?

Not even the announcement of classic hit songs made it all better. He wanted to cry so badly it hurt, simply at the thought of losing Kurt's company.

And then the music started to play. Mariah Carey. Great.

_I am thinking of you _

_In my sleepless solitude tonight _

_If it's wrong to love you _

_Then my heart just won't let me right _

_Cause I've drowned in you _

_And I won't pull through _

_Without you by my side _

Ok, not so great… Why was she talking about being wrong or right because of loving someone? God, Blaine sometimes hated when his life seemed to have a soundtrack of its own, because the perfect songs appeared to be able to pick the right moment to speak about his feelings.

But it was true. He was drowned in Kurt and he knew it. He needed him and that was scary as hell.

_I'd give my all to have _

_Just one more night with you _

_I'd risk my life to feel _

_Your body next to mine _

_Cause I can't go on _

_Living in the memory of our song _

_I'd give my all for your love tonight _

They'd shared songs, Blaine could remember then perfectly. He treasured the duets they'd sung together, like they were the perfect partners… Even when they looked at each other while revising the lyrics in his room. Beautiful.

Kurt was beautiful.

_Baby can you feel me _

_Imagining I'm looking in your eyes _

_I can see you clearly _

_Vividly emblazoned in my mind _

_And yet you're so far _

_Like a distant star _

_I'm wishing on tonight _

For the first time, Blaine could see himself reaching for Kurt, slowly putting the papers with the lyrics aside, and crushing their mouths together… They were holding on to each other like they couldn't get enough and Blaine felt like he would never be able to let go…

_I'd give my all to have _

_Just one more night with you _

_I'd risk my life to feel _

_Your body next to mine _

_Cause I can't go on _

_Living in the memory of our song _

_I'd give my all for your love tonight _

The end of the song marked the end of the fantasy, and all of a sudden Blaine found himself in the kitchen, all hot and bothered, with a sandwich on a plate in front of him and a commercial of a 90s music event downtown.

"Holy…" he muttered when he noticed how excited he was, just because of his very vivid imagination. He ran his hand over his forehead and went to grab a glass of water to cool down before things went too far. He'd thought about the possibility of Kurt being his boyfriend in the past, but he'd seen anything more than a couple of chaste kisses in his head. He didn't want to run to the bathroom because of Kurt and because of the fact that he was still a teenager with hormones.

But it was precisely because of Kurt that he was starting to realize that what he'd imagined was right and beautiful. The idea of them being together wasn't that rational anymore, just because Blaine was finally embracing the truth – that he was in love with Kurt Hummel.

He had to see him. Right now.

Without hesitating, Blaine grabbed his stuff and went out again. It didn't matter that he'd been at the bar an hour ago. How hadn't he seen before that Kurt was the one he'd been looking for forever? There was a moment – the moment of the song, of the fantasy- when he'd realized that yes, he'd had the answer in front of him all along.

Time passed by so quickly he barely noticed that he was getting out of the bus and running to the bar. Smiling, he knew that he was going to make it up for his mistakes as much as he could from now on.

It was a shame that not a lot of people were aware of Kurt's talent outside the schools he'd attended and the shows he'd given. There were only five people getting a drink and a snack at the bar, and Kurt and Joel were starting to get the stage ready for them to perform. Blaine saw Kurt smiling and felt his heart jump inside his chest. He looked pretty much like perfection on legs, but for now, it was enough to watch him from the distance. Blaine would try to apologize later, after the show, to both Kurt and Joel, and maybe, just maybe, try to convey his feelings into a heartfelt speech.

Joel was doing some soundcheck but he was done soon. Suddenly Kurt was reaching for the microphone and Blaine was kind of hiding behind a magazine again after seating at one of the little tables.

"This is a song that I want to dedicate to someone I thought I could trust. Someone… someone who hurt me and some of my friends," Kurt explained. "It's over. By Jesse McCartney."

_We've run out of words, we've run out of time,_

_We've run out of reasons, really why we're together,_

_We both know it's over baby, bottom line,_

_It's best we don't even talk at all, wooh._

Blaine frowned. That wasn't… what he'd been expecting.

_Don't call me even if I should cross your mind,_

_I'm in love, I don't need to hear your voice on my messages,_

_Lets just call it quits, it's probably better so,_

_If I'm not returnin' your calls it's 'cause…_

Kurt was showing off his phone, and even from far away, Blaine could see a picture of himself on the caller ID. The next thing he knew, Joel was singing along with Kurt some of the lyrics.

_'Cause I'm not comin' back I'm closin' the door,_

_I used to be trippin' over missin' you but I'm not anymore,_

_I've got the picture phone, baby your picture's gone,_

_Couldn't stand to see your smile, every time you dialed._

_'Cause it's over, (over)_

_Boy__ you know it's over this time, (this time)_

_So when you call I'm pressin' 7,_

_Don't wanna hear your messages, (messages)_

_I'm tryna erase you from my mind, (my mind)_

_'Cause it's over, (over)_

_I swear boy it's over this time, (time)_

_So don't keep callin', leavin' messages,_

_Don't want to know where you've been,_

_Baby 'cause it's over. (over)_

Was this some sort of sick joke Fate was playing on Blaine? He could barely believe his eyes and ears… and the song had been slightly altered to be a boy instead of a girl.

_I still wake up every morning quarter to ten,_

_Still eat my cereal right at the kitchen table,_

_I can't even remember how long it's been,_

_No trouble stayin' occupied, ohh. (oh)_

_They ask about you whenever I come around, (I come around)_

_I do what I can not to put my business in the streets, (streets)_

_The last thing I need is another episode,_

_Keep conversation short and sweet because._

So Kurt didn't want Blaine to talk to him ever again? Sure, it was one of the reactions Blaine expected… but damn, now it seemed to be happening, and it really, really sucked.

_'Cause I'm not comin' back I'm closin' the door,_

_I used to be trippin' over missin' you but I'm not anymore,_

_I've got the picture phone, baby your picture's gone, (picture's gone)_

_Couldn't stand to see your smile, everytime you dialed._

_'Cause it's over, (__boy, it's over)_

_Boy__ you know it's over this time,_

_So when you call I'm pressin' 7,_

_Don't wanna hear your messages, (messages)_

_I'm tryna erase you from my mind, ('cause baby)_

_'Cause it's over, (over)_

_I swear boy it's over this time, (this time)_

_So don't keep callin', leavin' messages, (no)_

_Don't want to know where you've been, (ohh no)_

_Baby 'cause it's over. (over)_

But wait. Maybe Blaine was getting ahead of himself and concluding that the song was about him. It could be about any boy, right? He couldn't be really sure about it unless he asked – although he knew he wouldn't.

_You know that it's over when the burnin' and the yearnin' inside your heart ain't there anymore,_

_And you know that you're through when he don't do to you or move you like the way he moved you before,_

_And you wanna pull him__ close but your heart has froze,_

_You kiss him__ but his eyes don't close, there he goes,_

_I love your heart forever,_

_And it hurts you but you know that it's better._

The song was about to end and Blaine would have his moment with Kurt. He'd make it all better, he'll fix everything… He left the magazine and got up to try to waive at Kurt, but the boy seemed to be completely into the music.

_'Cause it's over, (over)_

_Boy__ you know it's over this time, (this time)_

_So when you call I'm pressin' 7,_

_Don't wanna hear your messages, (messages)_

_I'm tryna erase you from my mind, (mind)_

_'Cause it's over, (over)_

_I swear _**Blaine**_ it's over this time, (time)_

_So don't keep callin', leavin' messages,_

_Don't want to know where you've been,_

_Baby 'cause it's over. (over)_

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Blaine wasn't one to curse much but that was the only word he could say in his head.

He remained there, with his hand waving, until he heard his name on the song coming out of Kurt's lips, and couldn't handle it. He froze there like he was trapped in time, and a second later, he was storming out of the bar.

Blaine didn't know if Kurt had seen him standing there or not, but he knew he had to get out of there. When he arrived at the bus stop, he could feel and hear every sound around him, but the world was empty. A couple of tears ran down his cheeks and he wiped them away, not wanting the people who passed by to see him.

There was no turning back. He's been blind, stupid and crazy.

He deserved a broken heart.


	14. I gotta change the station

**14**

**I gotta change the station**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, Wes, David, OCs.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Summary: Blaine makes a desperate move. Will it work to make Kurt forgive him?

Author's note: Long chapter, because you've been waiting for an update for more than two weeks. You deserve it. I'm making it up to you with these 11 pages which are like a double chapter, in a way.

*.*

**I gotta change the station**

The rest of the last day of the week was pure torture for Blaine. He ate almost nothing since he couldn't even find the energy to make himself lunch. Since his mother and his brother were out, he didn't have any company, which meant that he could spend the next few hours getting as much depressed as he wanted to without being interrupted.

Kurt didn't like him back. At least not anymore.

It sucked being such an idiot when it came to love and relationships. Every time Blaine had a crush, he had no problem telling the person - hell, he'd even sung for Jeremiah with the Warblers at the Gap! He would never tell anybody, but he'd even serenaded to a guy while performing at a theme park. Blaine was certainly not a shy person when it came to love confessions, and now this? He hadn't been able to see that Kurt was the one for him and in the meantime, he'd ruined their friendship. Moreover, he'd decided that he liked him back after all that, only to hit the wall hard.

He waited in solitude for the entire day for his family to be back. The first one to arrive home was his brother but Josh was clumsy and weird. He'd barely passed the door and he was holding himself to the wall so that he wouldn't fall. Blaine had to go catch him before he hit the floor, and that's when he noticed the state his brother was in.

"You… You're drunk," Blaine muttered, watching Josh try to get up by his own means. "Wait. You're not ok. Why would you go to a bar and come back home like this?"

"None of your business, now leave the grown-ups alone."

"Grown ups, right. Sorry but I'm not the irresponsible one here."

"Don't… really care. Bed. Now."

"Will you tell me what's going on?"

The only answer Blaine received was the door being slammed without any warning. He just stood there, wondering what the hell was going on and eventually, when his mother arrived he didn't want to make her worry about it, so he didn't tell her. She sounded happy that an art gallery seemed to be interested in her paintings and he couldn't that feeling away from her.

Blaine spent the evening listening to his mother talk about her projects and her ideas for brand new paintings. It was inspiring to watch her follow her passion professionally speaking for a change. He'd always considered her a very straightforward, honest, original, beautiful person and he dreamt about being as wise as her someday.

In the evening, Blaine locked himself in his room, closed the blinds and turned on the radio. He lay in bed and thought about the last few days, about the strange changes in his behavior, about his sudden realization that he was falling in love.

All the freaking songs were depressing no matter how many times he changed stations. All of them reminded him of Kurt and they were definitely not helping Blaine to get over the fact that it was a lost cause. Only the last song seemed to make him feel better. It was a Jack Johnson song. God, Blaine loved the man and his songs, and he fell asleep to "What you thought you need" without even noticing.

He dreamt of Kurt. The sweet, caring, gorgeous guy he'd taken under his wing. The one whose voice was absolutely stunning, the one with the perfect skin, the fashionably messy hair and the great taste in clothes…

Monday was a lot better than Sunday. Blaine woke up feeling relaxed and at peace with himself. A lot of the stress was gone since he'd slept ten hours straight. He was ready to face the day at Dalton Academy and to see Kurt again.

He had the feeling he'd jumped into conclusions. Maybe he'd misunderstood everything yesterday and Kurt wasn't done with him. It didn't hurt to just ask the guy and get the clarifications from him. Wasn't it easier that way – to know what the other person wanted first, without assuming to have all the answers? Much of the confusion that had come up so far was because of both of them thinking they knew each other well enough to know what the other one felt. Clearly, they didn't.

Blaine walked down the stair in his Dalton uniform and arranged a couple of things inside his bag-pack as he entered the kitchen. His brother was already there, drinking a huge cup of coffee.

"Rough night?" Blaine asked him, and he felt a little bit guilty that he wasn't as miserable as Josh.

"Yep," was the only thing Josh said, and he kept drinking his coffee. "And before you ask, I'm ok. Oh, and I'm not talking about what you saw last night."

Blaine knew that his brother didn't like to be seen as a vulnerable person, so he didn't push for an explanation. Josh was older than him, he was an adult and he had to be responsible for himself. If Josh wanted to share with him what was going on in his life, he would be there to listen but he would also respect his brother if there were issues he'd rather keep to himself. Blaine poured some coffee in a mug and drank it slowly. "Mom's out already'"

"She has a meeting at the bank. She was a little bit worried. I hope it's nothing."

"Me too… You'll keep me posted?"

"I'll let you know if I hear anything about it."

"Thanks." Blaine drank the rest of his coffee and grabbed some French toasts his brother had made. "I'm gonna take these for breakfast. I don't want to be late. I've got two classes today and then a break before lunch for Warblers' practice. See you later."

"See ya!" Josh told him, and he waived him goodbye.

Classes at Dalton were as hard as usual and Blaine realized how much time he'd wasted getting obsessed with his own lies and the effect they would have on his relationship with Kurt. He would have to catch up with several lectures, that was for sure. He'd spent time reading and studying but he didn't seem to remember anything.

Suddenly it was eleven o'clock and it was Warblers' practice time. He would see Kurt and he would ask him for forgiveness and for a straight answer about where their relationship was going. If Kurt said that they were over, then it was fine. Ok, not really fine, but at least Blaine would know where he stood. He had to admit that he hoped that didn't turn out to be Kurt's response, though.

The doors to the room where they had their rehearsals closed when he was only a few steps away from them. Practice had already started! He ran towards the doors and opened them without being careful. The result was a room full of Warblers looking at him like he was an alien.

"Am I late?"

David informed him, "Warbler Blaine, we wouldn't start a meeting without our lead singer…"

"I wouldn't count on it. Punctuality is a must if we're determined to win Regionals…" Wes added.

"Anyway," David cut him off, raising his hand, "We've got two days left before the big night. Let's try and concentrate on rehearsals!" He smiled widely and ignored Wes, who was giving him the I'll-kill-you-later look. In the meantime, Blaine took his place on the sofa.

Wes organized his papers. "So our eleven o'clock number…"

The doors opened again and a flustered Kurt came in. "Am I late?"

Wes answered, "_Yes!_"

"Wes, it's fine! Plus, I bet he had a good reason," David pointed out.

"I'm sorry," Kurt muttered, out of breath. Kurt closed the doors behind him and took his usual place near Blaine on the sofa. He'd definitely been sweating and his clothes were a bit wrinkled and out of place. Blaine couldn't figure out whether it was a new style or not and he wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed it, but it was crystal clear to him that Kurt looked different. What had been doing? "I didn't have classes in the morning so I decided to rehearse a song with a friend of mine."

"You haven't shown him any of our numbers… have you?" Wes asked quickly.

"I didn't. He doesn't belong to any singing groups, and he doesn't know any of our rivals. Trust me, it doesn't matter if Dyla… I mean, Joel, knows. We're safe."

When Kurt mentioned that name, Blaine felt shivers run down his spine. The memories of Kurt's song with Joel weren't making the image of Kurt and Joel kissing go away. Didn't Kurt like romance? Because the wrinkled and messy clothes didn't exactly meant being just friends with Joel.

Wes was smiling now and caressing his chin, like he'd gotten the same idea. "Aha."

"It is important that we don't get our personal matters get in the way to success," Wes immediately added like he was supposed to warn Kurt somehow.

"Of course. I know that," Kurt assured Wes.

"Good. Now, just like David said, let's check our eleven o'clock number…"

So what, it was ok for Kurt to see Joel as long as he kept singing? No, it was not ok! Couldn't the warning be a little stronger? Like 'Kurt, please do not get a boyfriend now'? Or ever, unless it's Blaine?

"Wait," Blaine suddenly said.

Wes threw the papers he had on the table and rolled his eyes. "Seriously? Is this a thing we do now?"

"What thing?"

"Interrupting me."

Blaine didn't know what the hell he was talking about. "Sorry, it's not my intention to bother you in any way, but I have something that I want to say."

"Is it about our eleven o'clock number?"

"No. Well, yes. I guess. I was thinking that maybe we should change stations…" Blaine could see the worried looks in his friends' faces and he raised his hands. "Before you freak out, I am not saying we shouldn't try the sexy number. I am just going to point out that sometimes people feel sexy when they're in love. And they think the person they're in love with is sexy, too."

Wes's eyes narrowed. "Sexification. By love… Is this a joke?"

"No. I seriously think we have to go back to romance in order to gather the feeling of sexiness we need to win Regionals."

Before Wes could add anything, David elbowed him and said, "Interesting. What do you have in mind?"

Blaine didn't waste one second to tell everyone the song he wanted to sing. "Mariah Carey. We belong together."

Wes wasn't exactly thrilled. "It's a beautiful song, but isn't it about a couple that breaks up? Don't they miss each other afterwards? How is that romantic? From where I see it, it looks pretty depressing."

"Well, I disagree. I think that it is when you really miss someone that you realize how much you care about them. How much you love them. That's where the romance is. And romance leads to sexiness."

"I still don't…"

"Wes." David elbowed his friend again, harder this time. Even Blaine could see it under the table.

"Fiiiine," Wes muttered between greeted teeth. "This is still practice. We'll see how it goes."

"It's gonna be awesome. It's Blaine, man."

Blaine was relieved even if he didn't know what he was doing. He wanted to sing that song all of a sudden and he wouldn't miss the chance to do it. Somehow the fact that Kurt had come looking like he'd shared some sexy times with Joel had turned him into a mad man. "Thank you for your confidence in me… Actually, to be honest with you, guys, I have to say that I'm not throwing that idea to the table just because of Regionals… I'm…"

"You had a secret boyfriend and you two broke up?" David wanted to know.

The Warblers remained silent as the conversation kept going. Blaine looked around and saw everyone waiting for an answer, even Kurt. "Um… no," he clarified.

"Did he break your heart? 'Cause that bastard's going down," Wes added, and it was really weird to see him get involved in something as personal as that, interrupting the formality of their meeting. "We better tell Freddie."

"Freddie and I aren't speaking," Blaine informed them.

"Crap, is it him?" David asked, looking completely surprised.

"Who?"

"The heart-breaker."

What the…? "Jeez, no!" Blaine stood up, tired of the craziness that surrounded him. "I don't have a boyfriend, I didn't have a boyfriend and even if I was about to have one, it wouldn't be Freddie."

"Ok, man, chill," David said. "We were just tying up the loose ends."

"Right," Blaine said, and he took a deep breath to try and concentrate again. "What I was going to say is that I am missing someone a lot. I kind of want to sing about it if you don't mind. Then we can decide whether it's good enough to be one of our numbers or not. I screw up more than you think, you can be sure of that."

"Warbler Blaine, you've been granted permission to perform."

"Ok, our lunch with Freddie really affected you. He's the only one who comes up with Star Trek analogies."

"Funny, but not necessary. Let's listen to Blaine."

"Thank you."

Kurt was watching without much interest now as Blaine stood in the center of the room and the Warblers started humming the first piece of music. Finally, the time came for Blaine to sing.

_I didn't mean it when I said I didn't love you so _

_I should've held on tight, I never should've let you go _

_I didn't know nothing, I was stupid, I was foolish _

_I was lying to myself _

This time he kept looking at Kurt in the eye like he meant every word included in the lyrics. There was no way Kurt could misunderstand the message. Damn, it was pretty clear.

_I could not fathom I would ever be without your love _

_Never imagined I'd be sitting here beside myself _

_'Cause I didn't know you, 'cause I didn't know me _

_But I thought I knew everything _

_I never felt _

_The feeling that I'm feeling now that I don't hear your voice _

_Or have your touch and kiss your lips 'cause I don't have a choice _

_Oh, what I wouldn't give to have you lying by my side _

_Right here, 'cause baby _

The chorus was so truthful to what Blaine felt that it almost hurt to know how long he'd been blind.

_When you left I lost a part of me (Together) _

_It's still so hard to believe _

_(Come back, come back) _

_Come back baby, please _

_(Come back, come back) _

_'Cause we belong together _

_Who else am I gon' lean on when times get rough (Ooooooh yeah) _

_Who's gonna talk to me on the phone till the sun comes up (Oooooh yeah) _

_Who's gonna take your place, there ain't nobody better (Oooooooh yeah) _

_Oh, baby baby, we belong together _

He could have been more than Kurt's friend months ago, but no, he'd been chasing other guys knowing they didn't want anything serious with him. Blaine had been an idiot all along, and now he was paying for the consequences.

_I can't sleep at night when you are on my mind _

_Bobby Womack's on the radio saying to me: _

_"If you think you're lonely now" _

_Wait a minute this is too deep (too deep) _

_I gotta change the station so _

_I turn the dial _

_Trying to catch a break and then I hear Babyface _

_I only think of you and it's breaking my heart _

_I'm trying to keep it together but I'm falling apart _

_I'm feeling all out of my element _

_I'm throwing things, crying _

_Trying to figure out where the hell I went wrong _

_The pain inflicted in this song ain't even half of what I'm feeling inside _

_I need you, need you back in my life, baby _

For the last chorus, Blaine made sure to stand closer to Kurt in order to send again his message.

_When you left I lost a part of me (Together) _

_It's still so hard to believe _

_(Come back, come back) _

_Come back baby, please _

_(Come back, come back) _

_'Cause we belong together _

_Who else am I gon' lean on when times get rough (Ooooooh yeah) _

_Who's gonna talk to me on the phone till the sun comes up (Oooooh yeah) _

_Who's gonna take your place, there ain't nobody better (Oooooooh yeah) _

_Oh, baby baby, we belong together baby! (We belong together)_

Then the song was over and everyone seemed to be thrilled with this particular rehearsal.

"Outstanding, truly outstanding!" David congratulated him, standing up and applauding him along with the other Warblers.

Blaine applauded them in return since they had allowed them to sing the song he wanted and also helped them do it. They were a team and the result was more than the sum of the parts.

"Did you feel the sexiness, the love?," David continued, glancing at Wes, who raised an eyebrow. "I guess not."

"I did. And I felt the passion," Wes responded, smiling for the first time today during the meeting. "Warbler Blaine, that was an excellent performance."

"Thank you, all. I really appreciate it. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Keep that for our winning speech at Regionals. Ok, now…" Wes looked at his papers and frowned. "Let's take a break. Five minutes, not more. Check your lyrics, people!"

While the Warblers started getting together in little groups to revise their song lists and lyirics, Blaine sat alone on the sofa and ignored Kurt. If Kurt could play the hot and cold game, so could Blaine. It seemed to be a good technique to get someone else interested. It worked with Blaine, right?

It only took a minute for Kurt to approach him and call his name in a whisper. "Blaine."

Blaine pretended to be distracted by the lyrics and didn't even look at Kurt. "Yeah."

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure…"

"Alone?" Kurt sounded a bit nervous, and Blaine's gaze landed on his.

"Um… ok."

They moved to the loneliest corner of the room and Blaine thought he would test Kurt and see what happened. "So… do you wanna check the lyrics with me?" he asked, as if they weren't going to talk about anything important.

That was until Kurt blurted out, "No. What the hell was that?"

So far it was better to look confused. "What do you mean? It was a love song, it was…"

"Was it meant for me?" Kurt's eyes were wide open with what Blaine identified as curiosity. Good sign.

"Um…" Blaine smiled, "what I said it was?" There, he'd said it. If Kurt still liked him in some way, he would respond...

"God, Blaine… I don't know… I don't know what to do with you." Kurt hid his face under his own hands and sighed. "You can't do this."

Blaine was already getting anxious and upset. He folded his arms in a defensive posture. "Do what?"

"_This! _Going from being my friend to lying, then to getting into a fight with Joel, and then to telling me that you like me?"

"But I like you."

"Where did that come from? We had a fight yesterday morning. How did that changed into you telling me that you're interested in me now all or a sudden?"

Blaine took a deep breath and explained, "It was a song."

"A song."

"Yes. A Mariah Carey song. My all."

"I see. So a song let you know that you were in love with me," Kurt muttered with irony, which hurt Blaine a lot and made him feel embarrassed.

"You say it like it's stupid."

"No, I'm not saying that and you know it. Of course you can discover things about yourself through music. Hell, been there, done that. Art is self discovery," Kurt clarified. "What I don't get is the meaning of this. I don't know where you expect this is going to go. Things are not ok between us yet."

"I thought you would be happy that I'm finally on the same page you are… unless you're not." Blaine suddenly realized that he'd just gotten the answer he didn't want to hear.

Kurt was over him. Completely.

"Oh, no. How did I…? I'm an idiot. I should have known this was silly," Blaine muttered, embarrassed. "I mean, you did sing that song yesterday about closing the door with me…"

"What song?"

"The Jessie McCartney one at the bar."

Kurt definitely wasn't amused to hear that. "You were there? What where you doing? Did you follow me again?"

"It doesn't matter. I heard you. You said my name. That song was meant for me."

They stood there in silence. Blaine took a deep breath and thought about the possibility of the earth swallowing him alive there and then. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten rejected, but it sucked to be rejected by Kurt more than it sucked to be rejected by anybody else.

"Blaine…"

"No, it's ok. I just gotta adjust to the situation. You don't like me back anymore. Just… be happy with Joel. I wish the best for both of you. Wrinkle your clothes together as much as you want." That sounded so dirty that Blaine regretted saying it out loud, but he was really angry and a second later, he didn't care.

On the other hand, Kurt was horrified. "What are you talking about? He was judging my dancing skills, you heard me telling everybody about it. I need to practice my moves."

"Your moves. Right. And what moves are those?" Blaine continued, because at this point, he felt like he knew the truth and that Kurt was lying to his face.

"I'm talking about street dancing moves. I know a lot about Broadway musicals and how to perform in them, but I need something rougher in order to be able to play sexy for Regionals. So what if I danced to Beyonce's 'Sweet dream'?"

"Sweet dream. I see. You danced a sexy song for him."

Kurt threw his hands to the air. "I didn't mean it like that! Stop overanalyzing my words! Joel's my friend."

"Kurt, you don't have to lie to me. It's fine if you're with him. You deserve to be with someone. You said it yourself. It doesn't necessarily have to be me, right?" With that kind of sarcasm that he enjoyed to show sometimes, Blaine turned around, wanting to join the Warblers, until he heard Kurt's next words.

"You're acting like an idiot."

Ok, that was it. Blaine turned to Kurt and got closer to him again… this wasn't going to end like it was all his fault. "You know what? One thing is that I say that I'm an idiot because I feel like one after confessing my feelings to you when you don't feel the same… but you telling me that I'm an idiot… it's upsetting me. I just made a fool of myself, isn't that enough for you?"

"Enough for me?"

"Enough for you to forgive me so that we can remain as friends?"

Folding his arms, Kurt glanced at his shoes. "It's not that simple."

"Why not?"

Kurt's blue eyes were full of pain and fury when he pointed out, "You lied to me, remember?"

"And I said that I was sorry. How long will I have to apologize? It's not fair! Unbelievable… Unbelievable… You are lying about you being with Joel because I know that you're together! And yet, you won't forgive me!" Blaine was yelling and it was only after he was finished that he saw the Warblers staring at him, astonished.

There was only one way to break the tension.

He opened his mouth and sang about his feelings.

_When I'm nervous I have this thing - yeah I talk too much_

_Sometimes I just can't shut the hell up_

_It's like I need to tell someone, anyone who'll listen_

_And that's where I seem to fuck up_

_Yeah, I forget about the consequences, _

_for a minute there I lose my senses_

_And in the heat of the moment _

_my mouth's starts going, the words start flowing_

Slowly, the Warblers looked at each other and starting humming the music, one of them producing the sound and the rhythm of the drums of Jessie J's song.

_But I never meant to hurt you, _

_I know it's time that I learnt to_

_Treat the people I love like I wanna be loved_

_This is a lesson learnt, _

Looking back at Kurt, he used all of his energy to ask for forgiveness with anger.

_I hate that I let you down _

_and I feel so bad about it_

_I guess karma comes back around _

_cause now I'm the one that's hurting yeah_

_And I hate that I made you think_

_that the trust we had is broken_

_So don't tell me you can't forgive me_

_Cause nobody's perfect, _

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no, nobody's perfect_

Karma was a bitch. He'd never thought he'd come to the point to sing this song to Kurt, but it was necessary at the moment. Blaine jumped onto the sofa and continued with his performance, although it didn't seem like one. He was focused on the lyrics, on the feelings, and not on the final result.

_If I could turn back the hands of time_

_I swear I never wanna cross that line_

_I should of kept it between us_

_but no I went and told the whole world how I feel and oh_

_So I sit and I realise _

_with these tears falling from my eyes_

_I gotta change if I wanna keep you forever_

_Promise that I'm gonna try_

_It hurt to sing like that, like it was his only chance, but this was a claim for a second one._

_But I never meant to hurt you, _

_I know it's time that I learnt to_

_Treat the people I love like I wanna be loved_

_This is a lesson learnt, _

_I hate that I let you down _

_and I feel so bad about it_

_I guess karma comes back around _

_cause now I'm the one that's hurting yeah_

_And I hate that I made you think_

_that the trust we had is broken_

_So don't tell me you can't forgive me_

_Cause nobody's perfect, _

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no, nobody's perfect_

He got off from the sofa and got so close to Kurt that he had him walking backwards and almost resting his back against the wall. Hell, Blaine could even smell his perfume, so distracting. The Warblers followed every move, glancing at each other and obviously wondering what was going on between Kurt and Blaine.

_I__'m Not a saint, no not at all, _

_but what I did__ - it wasn't cool_

_But I swear that I'll never _

_do that again to you_

_I hate that I let you down _

_and I feel so bad about it_

_I guess karma comes back around _

_cause now I'm the one that's hurting yeah_

_And I hate that I made you think_

_that the trust we had is broken_

_So don't tell me you can't forgive me_

_Cause nobody's perfect!_

"Stop!" Blaine asked the Warblers, tired of performing. "Stop!"

A second later, the room was silent. Kurt was resting one hand on his chest like he was trying to calm himself down and to catch his breath, but he stood where he was - even when Blaine approached him once more to make a final point.

"I want us to be friends, Kurt, but I lied and you lied. If you can't get over it, that's fine. I won't ask you again," he told Kurt in front of everybody, and with that, he grabbed his stuff and walked away.


	15. Tough love, baby

**Tough love, baby**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OC.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: I think that saying sorry for being late is a silly thing at the moment since I'm always late with my own chapter deadlines… so I'm just going to say that I hope you enjoy this installment. Blame my terrible time tables on real life. :)

*.*

**Tough Love, baby**

The room was quiet, lonely, empty. Photographs and the uniform weren't nice memories anymore. They were mere reminders of the lovely stay at Dalton, of Blaine's friendship, of how much of a screw up he was.

Kurt almost didn't hear Freddie come in.

"Hey! I went out to buy some chips 'cause I was a little anxious… Want some?" he said, throwing his stuff on the bed beside Kurt's, and barely even noticing him there, laying.

"No, thanks," was Kurt's little, short response.

"You know what? Paula hates these snacks. I never have them because of her. But now… whatever. I don't think I'm getting her back, so screw it, chips for everyone," Freddie continued, in his ironic speech. He threw some chips into his mouth and chew them, only to shake his head afterwards. "Crap, they don't even taste as good as I remember. This sucks!" He left the rest of the snacks on the bed, frustrated. "I can't even enjoy a simple snack knowing that she doesn't want to see me again… I must be crazy. Am I crazy, Kurt?" When Kurt didn't respond, he insisted, "Are you even listening to me?"

"I hate him."

"Who?"

"You know who."

Taking a deep breath, Freddie moved towards Kurt's bed. "Damn it, what did our dear Blaine do this time?"

"Singing for me in front of everyone. Asking for forgiveness like it was all my fault… He chose Jessie J. Nobody's perfect."

"He's kind of fond of her, don't you think? First 'Price Tag,' now this…"

"I don't care about the song, I care about the meaning." Kurt didn't give a damn about the song choice. He turned to his right, giving his back at his roommate.

"I know, I know," Freddie said, and Kurt could swear that the guy must have lifted his hands in sign of surrender.

"It was embarrassing. I looked like the bad guy, like the one who doesn't want to forgive him."

"Um…"

Kurt immediately turned to Freddie with eyes wide open. "No, Freddie. You can't do that, you can't be on his side!"

"I'm on nobody's side…!" Freddie clarified. "Wait, that's not true. I'm on _my_ side! He lied to me too, he made me break up with my girlfriend, remember?"

"Exactly! And you're mad at him!" So what, Freddie suddenly had amnesia or something?

"I am mad, but…"

There was some heavy silence between them and Kurt knew what was coming. Damn it, he'd seen it all along, no matter how many time Blaine managed to make him want to kill him. "Freddie?"

"Yeah, I'm going to forgive him eventually. I know I will," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "He's my friend. My best friend. I hate myself for it, but the guy's a mess sometimes and this wasn't really his fault. Paula's not perfect, I'm not perfect… and Blaine's certainly not perfect. He gets really confused when he really likes someone."

"Oh, c'mon. Now you're gonna tell me that Blaine actually likes me, just like my friend Joel says."

"Who?"

"He's a guy I met at a bar."

"Possible lover?"

"No. He's straight, and I don't even like him that way. By the way, Blaine followed me when I was going to see him and he fought with Joel."

"Well, well, well… Fights? Wow. This is the definitive proof I was looking for," Freddie muttered to himself.

"What are you talking about, what proof? Proof of what?"

Freddie cleared his throat and got closer to Kurt. "I've known Blaine for years and I think I know pretty well when he's head over heals in love with somebody…"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "God, don't say it. He doesn't like me."

"No, no. Listen, Kurt. He hasn't been like this for a long time. He gets physical in many ways when he really likes a guy. You never know which way, but he does. This is a clear statement…"

"It's not. You were in Europe, you weren't here. A few weeks ago, he serenaded to a guy named Jeremiah…"

Shaking his head, Freddie raised a hand. "I'm sure that was just attraction…"

"He kissed a girl, a friend of mine from my old school…"

"Too much alcohol…"

"He said that he wanted you…"

"And yet everybody knows nothing will ever happen between us. In fact, I've shared interesting conversations with him about how he feels about you."

"Wha…" Kurt was caught off-guard. "You have?"

"Yeah. He's thought about what it'd be like to be your boyfriend, but he's worried that he's like your mentor. He doesn't want to impose himself as the person you're supposed to be with so he is expecting you to choose someone else."

"When you're friends with him again, please tell him that he's doing a hell of a job." Kurt folded his arms in discomfort.

"C'mon, when you mentioned that Joel guy, Blaine went Rambo crazy, destroying everything around him. All because of you."

"That's ridiculous."

"It's not, and his family's not helping," Freddie added. "His mother's a great woman and I gotta admit that Josh is awesome, but he's not very stable. They've been through a lot. I bet that him being back at the house is not gonna be that good."

It was strange to get that kind of information from Freddie, not because it was about Blaine's apparently dysfunctional family, but because it was making Kurt feel sorry about Blaine. "I'm not gonna forgive him anytime soon," Kurt clarified, even though he wasn't very sure of it anymore.

"Paula used to say things like that And damn it, I was like Blaine. I was a misfit until I met my other half and settled down…" Freddie looked at the snacks on the other bed and sighed.

Kurt thought about it for a second. "So you're saying that I make Blaine go insane with Rambo anger and that yet I am his Paula."

"Something like that. Sounds weird, though." Freddie made a funny face, like the idea of the comparison nauseated him.

"I know," Kurt agreed. "Let's change the subject… So, you were telling me about Paula and the snacks. Did you get to talk to her?"

Freddie got up from the bed and starting walking the room. "No. She's avoiding me and she's good at that. I'm adjusting to the idea of her being gone. I think I'm doing fine."

Kurt snorted and beckoned the snacks. "Really?"

"Whatever."

"I can't believe you're just gonna give up. What happened is not fair to your nor her. Your breakup wasn't your fault."

"It wasn't anyone's fault. Well, maybe Blaine's, but certainly not yours. You didn't know." Freddie threw the snacks in the dustbin of their room and lay on the bed. "I think I'm just gonna take a nap. I've got classes in two hours. Chemistry. Lucky me."

When Freddie closed his eyes, Kurt could only hear silence again. Just seeing Blaine's friend giving up was making him feel guilty… and so he got an idea. "No," he firmly said, getting up and standing before Freddie's bed.

The other boy opened his eyes and frowned. "No? No what?"

"No, you're not gonna take a nap."

"Why not?"

"Because we're gonna start fixing the things."

Freddie didn't seem to catch the idea as he rubbed his eyes. "Um… I don't follow."

"We're gonna visit your girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend… and _what_?" Freddie's eyes were wide open now and it looked like he was about to freak out - Kurt didn't know if it was from excitement or horror.

"We're gonna visit Paula and I'm gonna explain to her what happened. She'll be falling into your arms again," Kurt happily explained.

"Oh, you don't know her," Freddie assured him, almost laughing. "She's tough, she won't buy any story. And she hates the expression 'fall into someone's arms.' Please don't bring it up."

Now it was Kurt's turn to frown since he didn't expect Paula to be the kind of girl Freddie was describing, although she had to be strong enough to stand him. "Good tip. Now please grab your stuff so that we can get going."

"Now?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, now! Don't you want to get her back and stop mopping around like a homeless man?"

"That description sucks… yet I guess it's appropriate. Fine, let's go. But if she destroys you, you know… just don't say I didn't warn you."

"C'mon…" Kurt muttered to encourage him to move, but a second later, Freddie was already opening the door.

Soon they were both outside Dalton and Freddie was inviting Kurt to join him in the car. "We don't have all day, do we?"

"What about classes?"

"Screw classes. Paula's my top priority right now." The way Freddie said it, the tone of his voice… he really meant it. Kurt didn't joke at the lack of humor or the sudden drama involved. He just nodded and got in the car, wondering how the relationship between Paula and Freddie had grown into something so strong.

Once they were on their way to God knew where, Kurt had the courage to ask, "So, tell me how you two met."

"She was in the soccer team. She was the captain."

"Oh. So that's why she's so tough."

"No, it's because she had a crappy life back then. Her family was a train wreck. We shared a couple of projects together at Chemistry and I guess we becamse closer and closer. One day I went to her house to surprise her, I'd had a great idea for our assignment… and her mother opened the door."

"What happened?"

"She was bipolar."

"I'm sorry."

Freddie took a deep breath. "It's fine. Paula's father took care of everything to make her feel better, he's a good man. In the meantime, things were complicated and I became Paula's only real friend. One thing led to another and here we are. We were together, broke up several times then got together again. But this time's different. I never cheated on her. Now she thinks I did it with my best friend." He turned around the corner towards a block full of plain houses with old fences but nice cars. There was a dark-haired girl with shorts walking her pit bull. "There she is!"

He didn't waste one second – he just turned off the engine and jumped out of the car, leaving Kurt speechless. This was another side of Freddie he knew nothing about. He knew the joker, the good friend, the music lover, but the romantic guy? No. Kurt followed him and stood near the car so that he wouldn't interrupt him and Paula until it was completely necessary.

"Paula!" Freddie called, running towards her, but she didn't seem pleased to see him.

"What the hell are you doing here? I don't want to see you, I thought not answering your calls was enough of an answer for you," she said, walking towards the entrance of the house.

"And they were, but… Paula, wait. Wait, no, no, no. Don't get inside. Just let me talk to you, ok? I promise I…"

"No, I don't want your explanations…"

Freddie raised his hands. "Look, time out, ok? I know that it's always been tough love with you, baby…"

Paula was furious now. "Tough love? Really? And you're calling me '_baby_'? What is wrong with you?"

"It was all my fault," Kurt stepped forward, trying to find the best possible words. That seemed to catch Paula's attention, as she stopped in her tracks. "It really was." Paula stared at him with a frown in her face and knelt to pat the dog. Kurt wasn't thrilled with the idea of a girl like her with such a pet. "I

Her stare was giving Kurt chills. "I think you should give Freddie another chance."

"You're cute but I don't care what you have to say. And you," she turned to Freddie. "You can keep your explanations and your promises to yourself. Things are not what they used to be. You don't like me anymore…" Her eyes were full of anger and sadness. "And I don't like you back either." Reckless, she turned around and left, and even slammed the door on her way in.

Both boys kept their eyes on the door closed, until Kurt took a deep breath and said, "My goodness… Wow." Paula was a beautiful girl with a terrible attitude.

"Told you so," Freddie muttered, shaking his head. "Damn it."

"You're not giving up."

"You heard her."

"So? It doesn't mean everything's lost."

"She doesn't like me anymore. That's what she said."

"But her eyes said otherwise," Kurt clarified, trying his best to cheer Freddie up. "You didn't see that? You know her better than anyone. That wasn't hate. That was love… well, coming from someone who feels hurt and disappointed. She's just protecting her heart."

Freddie seemed to consider the idea as his eyes narrowed. "Hmm. Maybe. She might seem complicated but I can confirm that she's still a soft marshmallow in the inside." That comment earned him a glare from Kurt. "Arrgh. Please don't ever mention to her that I said that."

"I'm smarter than that, and I don't want to start World War Three." Kurt beckoned the car and he walked beside Freddie hearing him talk about his ex-girlfriend with his hands inside his pockets.

"When I decided to go to Europe, she said she'd wait for me. No one had ever done that for me before, no girl I'd ever met. She made want to go back to the US, you know? I came back for her several times a year… and I never told Blaine about it. I didn't want to see anybody but her, not even him. Our reunions were just between Paula and me. They were supposed to be special. No one else could be involved."

Kurt felt the need to pat Freddie in the shoulder. "C'mon, we've got work to do," he said before they got in the car again and closed the door. "We're gonna have to figure out another way to convince her that this was just a big mess. It's gonna take some heavy planning, though…"

Freddie didn't answer right away. He just stared at the road with his hands on the wheel and sighed. "God, I know nobody gets it, not even me… but I love her."

The tension was there again along with the sadness of the situation. Kurt could feel his pain and thought about how silly misunderstandings could screw up a relationship so much. Love was definitely crazy sometimes… and so was Kurt's heart. He hated it but he still loved Blaine.

"Next time we won't fail," Kurt muttered, looking outside the window. "Let's go."

Thoughtful, Freddie just started the engine and hit the gas.


	16. The greater good

**16**

**The greater good**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OC's

Rating (this chapter): R for a little bit of violence.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: Yes, new chapter! I'm sick in bed and well… I had the time to write this, guys. Enjoy!

*.*

**The greater good**

Nobody was perfect, much less Kurt… Ok, he seemed to be perfect, but he wasn't. No, definitely not.

And yes, damn it. Blaine might have been wrong to sing that song in front of the Warblers but he couldn't take it anymore. He'd made mistakes, but so had Kurt. Why couldn't he just accept his apologies and move on? What did Blaine have to do? Kneel and beg for forgiveness? Would that even work anymore?

Blaine fumbled in his pocket for the keys with shaking hands. When the door was open, he pushed it a little bit too hard and cursed because of the loud noise it made. He looked around but no one seemed to be home, just like he expected. His mother had already left for work and Josh… well, Josh did pretty much whatever he wanted and lately he'd been acting strange…

And then he heard noises upstairs. Blaine stopped in his tracks as his breathing got heavier. Trying not to make a sound, he grabbed his old baseball bat from behind the cupboard, the place where such object had been left for this type of special occasion.

Holding on to the bat tightly, Blaine made his way upstairs. Maybe he was being too paranoid and it was only a cat or a rat or a strange animal he couldn't figure out right now. His mind was somewhere else, between the rage and the pain of losing Kurt and the fear of whatever was expecting him in the rooms he was heading to. There were little pieces of glass on the stairs and also in the corridor… The sounds were coming from the bathroom at the end of it and he got closer so he could push the door open…

"Wha…!" he jumped in his feet, startled and lowered the bat. "Damn it, Josh!" Then he realized what was going on. "Josh? What the hell is all of this?"

His brother was kicking the bathroom wall like a mad man and there were three little whisky bottles broken on the floor. "Shut up, Blaine! I don't want to hear you!" Josh screamed, out of control. He'd obviously been drinking and also throwing up, judging from the horrible stains on his t-shirt.

"Getting drunk outside, getting home like that, fine, do what you want, you're a grown man… but doing it here at the house? This place is a mess! I only left three hours ago! What will Mom say?"

"Tell her, I don't give a damn! I dare you to do it! Tell her what a terrible son I am, how she did her best to raise me and how I turned out to be a monster!"

"What are you talking about?" Blaine couldn't believe his ears. "Nonsense! You're drunk!"

"That's not the point, brother!" Josh's hands turned into fists and he got close to Blaine, trying to put up a fight. "C'mon, hit me. I dare you."

Blaine shook his head and looked at his brother in the eye. "I'm not gonna hit you, this is serious! And I'm not gonna leave you either, do you understand me?"

It only took three seconds and Josh's hand hit the mirror, breaking it into pieces instead of Blaine's head.

"Josh!" Blaine called, grabbing a towel and then his brother's shaking hand. "Damn it, you're bleeding now…" He wrapped the towel around the hand, trying to stop the bleeding until he could go grab something better. "Please stop. Tell me what's going on! I gotta know so that I can help you…"

"You can't help me! I got the call!" Josh cried. He didn't seem angry anymore.

He'd mentioned the call. That was never a good thing.

Josh rested his back on the wall again, miserable as he kept the towel wrapped tightly around his hand. "They called me from Boston… She died… My partner."

Blaine didn't know what the right answer to that was. How was he supposed to make someone feel better when that someone had lost a loved one? "Josh, I'm so sorr…"

"Don't say it," his brother cut him off. "Don't say 'I'm sorry.'" I'm sick of it. I've had enough sorry's today and that damn phone just doesn't stop ringing!" There was a phone in a corner of the bathroom floor and it'd just started to ring. "For God's sake, don't they get it? I want to be alone!"

Blaine immediately went to grab the cell phone and picked up the call. "Hello?"

"Officer Anderson?" said a rough voice on the other side of the line.

"No, this is Blaine… His brother. And he's just not available right now." Blaine looked at his brother and tried a little smile. "I'm sorry, sir." Then he hung up without giving any explanations. "I guess they're not gonna like that."

"No, but I couldn't care less."

They stood there for a second in silence. Blaine rested his back on the opposite wall, thinking. "This partner of yours…"

"Nadine."

"Nadine… Did you love her?"

"Of course I did, we were always on patrol together…"

"I mean as more than your colleague."

Josh took a deep breath and licked his lips before answering, "Yes." A tear ran down his cheek and Blaine approached him to hug him without caring if they hadn't hugged like this in years. Not even the 'welcome back' hugs could compare to this. Josh hung on to him like Blaine was the only person in the world keeping him alive right now.

"We fought a lot about work but… but we understood each other. We were even thinking about moving in together… And now she's gone. She's gone… I don't know what I'm gonna do without her…" Josh cried against Blaine's shoulder.

"Shh… It's gonna be ok. You need to rest for a while. C'mon, I'll take you to bed."

Blaine helped Josh walk towards his room slowly and then got him into bed. He tucked his brother in and watched him for a minute or two, thinking he was falling asleep. Then he closed the curtains and went towards the door.

"She didn't deserve it, you know? That bastard…" Josh's voice came up again from the bed.

"Who?" Blaine asked in a whisper from the door.

With eyes still full of tears, Josh stared at the ceiling. "We'd been looking for this guy, this… killer. And then she got shot when we made actual contact with him by going undercover… I couldn't take it. I lost it. That's why they sent me home. I wasn't on vacation. They just didn't want me there. And now this killer… they didn't let me chase him… and he came back to finish the job…"

Blaine couldn't stand to see him like that. He'd never seen Josh cry and this was breaking his heart. "You're gonna do the right thing," he said. "You're gonna get better and you're gonna catch that son of a bitch."

That seemed to soothe Josh and Blaine was relieved to see that maybe, just maybe, sometimes he wasn't such a fool and he could pick the right words to say in a moment of conflict.

He walked down the stairs to get the stuff he needed to clean the bathroom, when he heard the bell ringing. He decided not to answer, but since whoever was outside seemed to be pretty insistent, then fine, perhaps that person needed a "Get the hell out of here!" kind of welcome.

Tired, Blaine walked towards the front door and opened it. "Listen, this is not the time to… _Kurt._"

Standing at Blaine's door, Kurt had his arms folded like a protecting shield. "I don't want to talk about what happened today. And I still don't forgive you about it… or anything else. I'm here because you and I - we need an emergency meeting that's not about us."

Blaine frowned, already worn out with Josh's latest revelations. He was too exhausted to get into a discussion. "Kurt, like I said, this is really not the time to do this…"

"I said we wouldn't talk about us," Kurt said, inviting himself in. "Are you alone or…?"

"Not exactly."

Kurt stopped in his tracks. "Oh. Then if you're with someone…"

He'd gotten the wrong idea. "No, Kurt, it's not what you think. It's just my brother. He's in the middle of a crisis."

"What happened?"

"His partner Nadine was killed today. I think they were also dating."

"Oh, my God."

"Yeah. He's upstairs, sleeping. I gotta take care of a couple of things here…"

"I understand… Can I help?"

"I think I've got it covered… I gotta clean the bathroom… and the stairs… and the corridor…" Blaine kept thinking about all the places he had to finish and it didn't seem like he'd make it before his mother got home.

It was Kurt's little comment the one that caught his attention. "You suck at cleaning."

"Hey," Blaine protested. "I can take care of it."

"I highly doubt it. Besides, you'd never finish. You're slow. C'mon, I'll help you. Four hands are better than two."

Blaine wanted to say no but something inside of him told him that this would be a good way for him and Kurt to reconnect at some level. "Thank you, Kurt. I really appreciate it," he told him as he closed the front door.

"No problem."

Together, they cleaned all the places that needed to be clean in an hour –although the broken mirror would need an alternative explanation- and soon they were looking at Josh sleep in his bed.

"Does your Mom know about this?" Kurt asked in a whisper from the door, beside Blaine.

"No and I don't think she needs to. I don't want to worry her. If things get worse, I'll tell her everything myself, I promise."

Kurt nodded and they both left the room.

"So, what did you come for in the first place?" Blaine wanted to know.

"Because of Freddie," Kurt explained. "I was thinking that we should save his relationship with his girlfriend. Whatever happened between you and me, Blaine… we both know that Freddie shouldn't be the one to get hurt."

"You're right… It'd be like mission impossible, though. Have you ever really talked to Paula?"

"Yes. I know the risks involved."

"You're brave."

"I was the only gay kid at my old school. Braveness comes with the role."

"True…" Blaine folded his arms. "So what do you have in mind?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me."

"Me?"

"Yes. You're Freddie's best friend. You must know what would bring him and Laura together again. We break it, we fix it."

Blaine thought about it and he knew that Freddie deserved his life to be put back on track. "Let's go to my room. If we keep it quiet, it should be alright." Once they were inside Blaine's room, he closed the door and waited as Kurt took in the view of the place.

"Um, Blaine? You have… a _lot_ of football posters. Like too many to be humanly possible."

"Breaking the stereotype, remember?"

"Of course, but it's still kind of a shocker."

"C'mon, you know me better than that, and you also know I'm a dork sometimes."

Kurt frowned like he didn't like the reference and Blaine decided to skip the dork word from now on during their conversations.

"So, Freddie," Blaine moved on. "What should we do? Let's see." He started walking around the room. "Candles, candy, romantic dinner… too much of a cliché. "

"Completely. We want them to get together again, not to make her hate him even more because of his lack of originality," Kurt pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah… What about a show?"

"Yes!" Kurt clapped. "Yes, that's the one! We sing some good songs about them needing to be reunited… about how much they love each other… about misunderstandings. It's perfect."

"Where? We can't do it at Dalton…" That was when Blaine saw the look in Kurt's eyes and knew what was going through his mind. "Oh, no, I don't think…"

"We're gonna do this at Rock Generations. Joel will be happy to lend us the bar for a night."

"So he's actually the owner?"

"I have no idea. But it shouldn't take him much to convince the owner, if needed."

"You trust him that much?" Blaine asked, a little bit worried about what he was getting into, but then again, this was all about Freddie, not about Kurt.

"I do," Kurt said, raising an eyebrow. "Ok, we've found the place. We can work on the song choices later. Now, the most important detail – how do we make it something they can relate to their story? And moreover, how do we make Paula go meet Freddie?"

"Mmm. I think I have an idea."

Kurt sat on the bed, inviting Blaine to sit beside him. "Please, do share."

"Remember all those bands Freddie talks about? The album he said he'd give you?"

"Yes. Mediocrity. He gave it to me, actually. They were pretty good."

"That one in particular belongs to Paula. She loves Mediocrity. She's always saying that she wants it back."

"And we can set them up so she thinks that Freddie wants to give it back to her as a way to make her forgive him. Brilliant. I just hope she buys it."

"She will. It's Mediocrity we're talking about."

"Ok… I'll take care of Freddie, then. I'll convince him to join me at the party… Could we even go bigger? What else could we use to make the night really special?" Kurt thought about for a second. "Oh, I know. How did he ask her out for the first time?"

"By singing to her, which was the worst idea ever. I even have it taped."

"Wait, that's it! We could use that and run the video for them to remember the good old days when everything was new and exciting!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no. No." Blaine shook his head and raised his hands, asking for understanding.

"Why? I bet it's cute and romantic."

"No, it's not. Trust me. The world doesn't need to hear Freddie sing. The only talent he got from Freddie Mercury is the mustache he had that night as part of the costume. He can impersonate him as much as he wants as long as he does playback. Freddie can't do any singing at all."

"That's cruel. It can't be that bad."

"Fine, maybe I'm wrong. I'll show you."

Blaine turned on his laptop and gave Kurt his headphones. They sat together on the bed to watch it. When everything was in place, he searched for the video file and opened it.

It was just a matter of time for…

"God, stop it, my ears are bleeding!" Kurt yelled, throwing the headphones away and towards the bed.

Blaine paused the video. "Not the first time I hear that reaction to this, I gotta say."

"Wow. You were right," Kurt muttered, astonished. "This can not go public."

"That's exactly why no one besides you and I knows that it still exists. I even told David and Wes that I'd deleted it."

"I don't get it. Why do you have it?"

"After his first fight with Paula, Freddie kind of wanted to get rid of everything that reminder of her. He did with most of her stuff – the non important ones. He wanted to throw the video away and I let him think he did it, but… I'd never told him that I'd made a copy of it and I didn't think it'd be a problem at the time," Blaine explained, remembering the angry look on Freddie's face when Paula had called him a "dishonest, stupid bastard." "This was just for fun, you know? I had to keep it. Who knew I'd be using this thing to bring them together again."

"Ah, horror movies can be so romantic sometimes," Kurt commented sarcastically.

"I know. And you've only watched the first ten seconds. Then it gets worse."

"Are you kidding me? How the hell can it get…? Arrgh. Forget it. I don't want to know."

"Paula gave him the Freddie nickname because of that. No one could believe how much of a bad singer he was, while being able to do a perfect Freddie Mercury in appearance, even wearing a freaking wig. It was historical and hysterical at the same time."

"Goodness. The story behind the name…" Kurt got up from the bed. "If we're gonna use this, we're gonna have to edit it… you know, save him the embarrassment. Once was probably enough."

"Do you know anyone who can do it? Because it's going to be hard work. We need an expert to find the good parts… and I couldn't even watch this again anyway for more than twenty seconds."

"You watched it for twenty seconds? Wow. How?"

"Hey, I'm his best friend. I'm supposed to be supportive."

"Haha," Kurt laughed –not really- and he took out his cell phone. "One second, I know who I gotta ask." He dialed a number and waited until someone picked up the call. "Hey, 'Cedes? How are you? Can I ask you something?" he said. "Blaine and I have a video we'd like to get edited… No. No, we're not friends again. No, 'Cedes. Yeah, I'll tell you all about it later. Now, do you know where we can find an expert on this? The quality of the video is bad and the performer is even worse… Oh. Aha? I see. I'll ask him. Ok… Thanks for the tip. See you later."

When Kurt hung up, Blaine was anxious to know what he'd found out. "What did she say?"

"It seems that our dear Joel took some video editing lessons a couple of years ago…"

"How does Mercedes know that?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking… Hmm."

Blaine frowned, getting the idea. "Hmm."

"I'll talk to him, don't worry."

"What about me?"

Kurt seemed bossy sometimes but that was just the way he was. "You handle Paula because you know her better than I do…"

"Cheater," Blaine laughed. "You just don't want to deal with her yourself."

"So? I've got other duties like getting the place where we're actually having the party at. Oh, and I'm also getting the video editor."

Maybe Kurt had a point. "If I have to deal with Paula, then I get to choose the songs we're gonna sing."

Kurt didn't seem to like the idea too much, but he gave up. "I guess that's fair. I think we're done."

"What do you mean, done?"

"We're done. We're finished I gotta go. I have a life."

"I know that but…" Please, Blaine didn't want Kurt to go away. If he'd come here after everything that had happened... Couldn't they just start over?

"No, Blaine… Let's just get this clear." Kurt was very, very serious when he said this. "We're not friends again, ok? We're just joining forces for the greater good."

Blaine felt like he wanted to punch something again. How many times could Kurt reject him? He tried his best not to put up a face when he said, "Fine, duly noted." Yeah, maybe it'd come out too polite.

"That sounded so formal."

"Should I feel flattered?"

Kurt shrugged. "If you want to."

"Thanks, then."

They both went downstairs without making any noises. Once they were at the door again, Kurt said, "Hey, I'll call you when I've got Joel on board so you can bring a copy of the video."

"I dare you to watch it again."

"Are you really trying to torture me? God, like I'm not going to have nightmares about it already…" Kurt complained, and when he turned around, Blaine could swear that he could hear him say, "Dork…"

While Kurt walked away, Blaine smiled because of him for the first time in days. This was the Kurt he loved, the one that made his knees go weak. The one that didn't know how sexy he was. The one that cared about others no matter what…

All the arm feelings were gone when Blaine noticed there was a strange car parked outside. A man with shades was looking right at him, like he was studying him.

Blaine didn't think twice as he locked the door.


	17. Backup

**17**

**Backup**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OCs.

Rating (this chapter): PG.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.

Author's note: It took me a long time to write this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it. There are a lot of little details to pick up here. :)

*.*

**Backup**

When Dylan "Joel" turned around to face Kurt, he didn't drop the wet cloth he was using the wipe the table at Rock Generations, even if he seemed a bit surprised. "Well, hello there," he muttered with his monotonous, lifeless tone.

Kurt was pretty direct. "You've had video editing classes."

"So? I did a lot of courses."

"Mercedes knows."

Dylan shrugged. "Again… so?"

"Why did you tell her and not me?"

"It never came up during any of our conversations... and what are you doing here? Don't you have like a thousand classes at school?"

"Skipped them. Are you having an affair with my best friend?"

There, Kurt had asked the key question. Dylan frowned but quickly came back to being the most apathetic person in the world except when it came to his personal interests. "Maybe."

How the hell had that happened? Kurt couldn't tie the loose ends. "What? You said she wasn't your type!"

"Do I have to tell you everything?" Dylan pointed out as he started wiping the table again.

"Yes! Well… not everything-everything, but you do have to share the important stuff!"

"She didn't tell you either, didn't she?"

"That… doesn't matter." That was confusing. Why hadn't Mercedes trusted him enough? Kurt shook his head and came back to reality. "Whatever is going on between you two… she'll probably fill me in later."

"You came here to rant about that? Hmm. Is the Blaine drama over?"

"The Blaine drama…? What does that even mean? No, I came to talk about business. Business that requires your wonderful video editing expertise."

"Ah, and now you're using praise. You change tactics quickly," Dylan pointed out.

"Can you please stop wiping that table and listen to me? You're making me nervous."

"You always seem nervous."

Kurt felt offended and folded his arms. "No, I don't. Now follow me."

"Hey, I'm working here." On purpose, Dylan wiped the table more forcefully than needed, but Kurt didn't buy it for a second.

"Yeah, right."

Even after giving Kurt an annoyed I-hate-you look, Dylan dropped the cloth and yelled, "T. J., Kurt's here, I'm gonna take a break!"

"As long as you mop the floor after!" it came the yell from far away, from somewhere at the bar.

"Whatever!" was Dylan's response, and he turned to Kurt. "C'mon, let's talk at the counter."

For some reason, it always felt awkward for Kurt to be sitting at a bar's counter between bottles of wine, vodka and rum. It felt even weirder to see Dylan take one of those and pour some strong whisky into a glass. "T. J.'s been a nightmare lately. Apparently there's not enough money for him to keep the bar. He's the actual owner."

No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. "Oh, I'm really sorry. Are you worried about your job?"

"No."

"What about T. J.?"

"I don't know. Besides, you can't get close to someone who spends most of the day yelling at you, can you?" It was amazing how a second later, Dylan was already trying to finish his drink. Yeah, he'd definitely miss T. J. and he was worried about him, whether he wanted to admit it or not. "Want some?" Dylan offered.

"Thanks, but I don't drink."

"As you wish." Dylan took the last sip of his whisky and said, "What is this business you were talking about?"

"It's a party. Here at Rock Generations. It's the perfect place. Hey, maybe it could help raise money for the bar!"

"Doubt it since we don't have a good reputation, but continue." Dylan took a deep breath. "What are we celebrating?"

"It's not a celebration. Blaine and I, you remember that I told you we made a friend of his break up with his girlfriend?"

"Yeah. The guy that changes his name, which sounds oddly familiar."

Bingo. Freddie and Dylan seemed to be connected in ways they couldn't clearly figure out.

"Exactly. We're trying to make them get together again. Freddie's a mess without Paula and Paula… well, she's a tough nut. We think that if we throw a party and sing them a bunch of songs about reuniting, they might forgive each other. It wasn't their fault, after all. It was us. Blaine and I screwed up everything. Well, mostly Blaine with his lies, but I was part of it." Kurt paused when he saw Dylan frowned. "What, do you think T.J. won't let us use the bar?"

"I don't think that will be a problem… but there's something I don't get. What does this have to do with my course?"

"We've got a video that needs to be heavily edited. Are you good at this kind of thing?"

"Of course I am," Dylan sounded offended as he showed off his arms. "I know that my appearance might confuse you with the tattoos and everything but I've got plenty of socially acceptable hobbies I'm great at."

"Good to know, because this is going to take a lot of work. It's a video of Freddie singing and trust me, you won't be able to watch it for more than five seconds. It's so bad, it's incredible… yet we gotta pick the best parts and put them together and show them at the party so that Paula thinks he planned the whole thing for her."

"Sneaky. I like it," Freddie muttered, caressing his chin.

"Awesome, then I'll tell Blaine to come over and bring the video. You guys can work on it together."

Dylan suddenly cleared his throat and then raised his hand. "Hold on. You want me to do this with the guy who basically tried to punch me at my own bar, the one that broke your heart?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Blaine didn't break my heart," he explained, imitating Dylan's attitude, "and this isn't your bar."

The tattooed guy shrugged. "No, but it could be. It kind of feels like home."

"Dylan!" Kurt called. "This is for my roommate. I was part of this mess and I gotta fix it now. Will you help me, please?"

Dylan took a deep breath as he stared at Kurt. "Fine," he agreed, but his eyes narrowed. "Are you sure this is not some kind of strategy to get closer to Blaine?"

"God, I can't believe you're even saying that," Kurt stated, but there was something weird about the way Dylan laughed. He'd never laughed before. He was the serious, sarcastic type. He didn't make jokes! "How many times do I have to say it? Blaine and I are over and I highly doubt things will be the same between us again."

"You keep telling yourself that. I'll enjoy the 'I told you so' moment even more."

Tired of hearing that same conclusion coming from everybody, Kurt folded his arms. "Can I call him so that he comes here now and we finish this up as soon as possible?"

"Be my guest."

Smiling, Kurt took out his phone and dialed Blaine's as Dylan made himself a second drink. It shouldn't be awkward to talk to him. They did this Freddie, right?

"Kurt?"

"Yeah, it's me, Blaine. Hi."

"Hello, there," Blaine responded. "Sorry that I have to talk in whispers but Josh is still sleeping… and Mom's in the kitchen, getting worried about him."

"Ouch. Did you tell her what happened?"

"Yeah. I couldn't keep it a secret. I was going to come up with a story but then I realized that there was no way she was gonna buy it. Especially the broken mirror part, since it matches the cuts in Josh's hand."

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. She has to know about this and he has to go through this meltdown. It's only natural." Blaine took a deep breath and paused, then added, "So were you able to talk to Joel about the party?"

Kurt felt proud to say, "Actually, I'm at the bar with him right now."

"Oh," Blaine sounded disappointed. "And?"

"He's ecstatic to help us." Kurt said firmly glancing at Dylan who simply gave him a fake, sarcastic smile.

"For some reason I highly doubt it, but as long as he knows how to fix this video, I'm all for it."

"Can you come over soon?"

"Sure, I'll ask Mom to take care of Josh. She won't mind."

"Ok." Kurt could imagine Blaine in his room, knowing that his family was in pain at the time. "And Blaine…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry again about what happened to your brother."

There was a short moment of silence, which was broken by Blaine's voice. "Thank you, Kurt. I really appreciate it."

"If you ever need to talk about it…"

"I know. I've got you," Blaine whispered with unexpected tenderness. "I'll see you in thirty minutes."

"We'll be waiting." Kurt finished the call and he didn't know why he was smiling at his own phone as he closed it. It only took him a moment to remember that Dylan had been standing there the whole time and when their eyes met, Kurt nervously snapped, "See? I told you. No romantic undertones." Dylan stared at him in silence as he finished his drink but when the corners of his lips curved upwards, Kurt couldn't take it anymore. "Arggh, stop it. I'm gonna sit there," he said, pointing at one of the tables, "and I'm going to call Freddie. I want you far away from me while I do so."

Still grinning, Dylan shrugged. "I've got work to do."

Kurt groaned as the silly response and went to sit at the table. He could kill some time by calling Freddie already and inviting him to the party. "Hey, Freddie? It's Kurt, how are you?"

"Suffering."

"I thought so. You didn't go to class?"

"No… Chemistry sucks without her, remember?"

Freddie didn't say another word about it and there were sobs on the line, so Kurt took the lead. "Maybe you should try to have some fun for a change. I mean, you can go back to the suffering stage after having a blast."

"I'm not sure."

"There's this party I want to go to, it's at the Rock Generations Bar…"

"Is that the one where your friend Joel works at?"

"Yes."

"I'm still underage. I can't even buy a beer."

"Then we'll get you drunk on a freaking soda, I don't know," Kurt was already getting frustrated with the conversation. "The point is, Freddie - you gotta take a break from your depression. Don't you want to do something other than cry over her?"

"I'm not crying."

"Sure you aren't. I'll let you know when the party will take place and you better be there."

When he hung up, he felt confident that Freddie would end up at the bar, no matter what it took. Satisfied with the call, he stayed at the table and read some of the newspapers he had near by. When he was in his own world, reading the only Fashion magazine he could find, he spotted Blaine coming in.

The boy had obviously given up on classes for the day since he wasn't wearing his Dalton uniform anymore. He was dressed with casual clothes – a white shirt, dark jacket and jeans – and he looked kind of tired.

"Hey," Blaine said, approaching Kurt.

"Hey, you," Kurt said, greeting him and offering him a seat. "How are you holding up?"

"I guess I'm fine. When I left, my mom was going into Josh's room to stay with him there. She's really worried," Blaine explained as he sat down. He looked a bit pale.

"He'll be staying at home for a while, right? I mean, he hasn't been asked to go back to work."

"Not that I know of, but sometimes Josh doesn't tell me about that kind of stuff. I saw some people outside, though. There was a guy in a car with shades, watching the house."

"Oh my God, you think the killer's going after him?" Kurt said, horrified all of a sudden.

"We don't know but my brother always says that if an officer's in danger, the Police sends one of their own to check on them permanently. I even waived at the guy when I got out and he waved back. I think we're kind of safe."

Kurt felt relieved. "Ah, thank goodness. You almost gave me a heart attack."

Blaine smiled, folding his arms. "Have you talked to Freddie?"

"It's done," Kurt said happily. "I'll probably have to drag him here but I can deal with it. Piece of cake."

"Good. I haven't been able to call Paula yet, I'm sorry." Blaine looked like he felt guilty about it but there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"Don't worry, you've got to take care of your family." Unconsciously, Kurt placed his hand on Blaine's arm, feeling how warm he was, but then he quickly retrieved.

"I can call her now, though." Blaine flipped his cell phone open, his cheeks getting some color for some reason. "I've got her number for emergencies and other stuff. Freddie's always been very whimsical. When he was at Dalton, he got in trouble all the time, while Wes and David never got caught. He was lucky his father was the headmaster. On the other hand, Paula always got so mad at him… Anyway, when Freddie moved abroad, he got obsessed with sending her gifts through me. He wanted me to leave them at her door as anonymous presents. I thought it was strangely romantic, so I helped him out."

"That's very nice of you."

Blaine dialed Paula's number several times but he could never get through to her. "She's not picking up. Of course she doesn't want to talk to me."

"Or me. Since she wasn't picking up Freddie's calls either, we had to go to her house. Maybe we should do that."

"There's a problem. We don't have a car…" Blaine commented, and then he saw a certain tattooed guy approach them. "Oh, hey, Joel."

"Hello," Dylan responded, and they stared at each other intensely.

Kurt raised his hands in disbelief. "Guys, this is ridiculous. I can't stand this anym…"

"Man, do you have the video?" Dylan asked, cutting him off and turning to Blaine.

Frowning, Blaine nodded and took out a pen drive from the pocket of his jacket. "Here. Be careful. It might give you nightmares."

"God knows it'll give them to me," Kurt added, shaking his head.

"Follow me," Dylan told them and he guided them through the bar to a little room with a crappy door. When he opened it, an entire different world unveiled in front of their eyes. There were at least five guitars, the keyboard Dylan always used, lots of books, a huge stereo and a desk with a computer.

"You have like a private bunker here? Oh my God. This is… awesome," Kurt said, marveled. He grabbed one of the books which turned out to be a relativity work by Albert Einstein. "Do you seriously read this? If you're a genius, you better tell me right now."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Dylan stated.

Kurt rolled his eyes and dropped the book. "How long do you think it's going to take?"

"Depends on the material. I gotta see it first."

Blaine folded his arms, his body tensing, and Kurt gulped. "Ok, just remember to stop it when it reaches the ten-second mark."

"I'm sure I can handle it. You guys can go do whatever you need to do, maybe get some nice decorations for the bar."

"Actually, we were going to see Paula, Freddie's girlfriend," Kurt explained. "Or more like we're going to approach them without telling her first. We've got a bus to catch."

"Intervention, nice," Dylan muttered as he put his headphones on, giving his back to Blaine and Kurt. "You can use my car. It's the old Chevy parked outside."

"You've got a car?" Blaine wanted to know.

"Tips suck but T. J. pays well." Turning around for a second, he threw the car keys to Kurt.

In an attempt to show appreciation, Kurt reached for Dylan and squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah," Dylan muttered, and then he started the video. "Close the door when you leave."

Following his instructions, Kurt and Blaine went towards the door. The images proceeded to continue one after the other on the screen but Dylan didn't seem to be disturbed at all by Freddie's horrible, horrible singing.

"Wow. I never thought anybody could do that," Blaine said as he closed the door and they went back to the bar, walking between clean tables towards the entrance.

"Trust me. He's got so many secrets you wouldn't imagine."

"Like what?"

"Nice try but I'm so _not_ gonna tell you."

"Fine, I think I can live with that," Blaine commented as they left the bar. "Let's get in the car, there it is." He pointed at the old but nice Chevrolet that was parked almost around the corner. "Give me the keys."

"No way. I'm driving."

"What? Why?"

"You've been though a tough time, Blaine. Shut up and let me do this."

It seemed that Blaine didn't want to fight, as he just held his hands up in a sign of surrender. Kurt smiled, pleased with the outcome of their conversation, and get in the driver's seat. Once Blaine was inside too, he started the engine and drove towards Paula's house remembering the time he'd been there with Freddie.

"So, what's the plan? We have just a few minutes until we get there and we can't just show up and tell her to go to the party," Kurt pointed out.

"I don't know her that well, unfortunately."

"What would you do if you were Freddie?"

"I don't know… She likes original, crazy stuff…" Blaine looked outside the window and saw a lot of little stores full of girly pajamas, mugs, cushions and blankets. "Wait, stop here."

"What is it?"

As soon as Kurt parked the vehicle, Blaine jumped out of the car and leaned on it to explain, "We're gonna buy Paula a gift, just like Freddie used to. With a twist."

"Hold on a sec, I'm going with you." By the time Kurt had reached the store, Blaine had already entered the place and was going through the shelves full of gifts for girls. "What are we looking for?"

"The girliest box you can find," Blaine said, now focusing on the card section of the store.

Kurt immediately started looking for the box, and finally he got one with little white and yellow flowers on a light pink background. He took it to Blaine for him to approve it. "I don't know why you think this is going to work. This is too much of a cliché. She's gonna hate it."

"She's gonna love it," Blaine insisted, and he grabbed the box before going to meet the cashier. The woman was chewing gum like she didn't even care if she got robbed. "This would be all," he informed her as she lazily started doing the numbers. "Oh, you sell flowers too?" he asked. There was a little bouquets with post-cards beside the cashier.

"Roses, sunflowers, whatever you want. You name it, you've got it."

"That one." Blaine pointed a bouquet of white roses admired the flowers when they were handed to them. "Perfect."

Kurt felt like something was out of place there. "I still don't understand…"

"Fifty dollars," the cashier interrupted them, and Blaine turned to her, astonished.

"What? There's no way what we bought can be that much."

"Pay it or leave it," she simply stated, and Blaine cursed, but he insisted on paying for the present himself and not let Kurt took out his wallet. When she got the money, she smiled and started counting the bills. "Thanks, have a nice day!"

Both boys went back into the car. Kurt sat on his seat and started the engine again. As soon as he started driving, he noticed Blaine had started to open the bouquet. "What are you doing? I don't think the intention of buying the bouquet was to destroy it."

"Of course not," Blaine clarified, focused on his task. "We're only gonna use one white rose. You'll get it eventually."

Kurt shook his head. "Should we stop somewhere else to buy the actual present? We need something to put inside the box."

"Oh, no, this is ok. We're ready. We just gotta take this to Paula."

"You're insane."

Blaine didn't answer, he just smiled when he finally got the white rose out. Then he looked at the rest of the flowers and arranged the bouquet again. "I think you should keep these."

"What? No. They're for Paula."

"We're not gonna use them, take them."

"Forget it."

"Fine," Blaine said but he reached back and left the flowers in the backseat. "Let Joel have them." Then he started writing a message on the card.

It only took them a little while to get to Paula's house. She wasn't in the frontyward with her dog like the last time Kurt had seen her. The neighborhood was pretty quiet so Blaine got out of the car with the present and left it at her door. When he came back, he was rubbing his hands like he was waiting for his proof of success.

"You'll get what this is all about in a second," he assured Kurt. "Now we have to wait."

They were really lucky. A few minutes later, Paula came back home from school and she stopped at the entrance to check what had been left there. She stared at the white rose, then took a moment to look at the box. Finally she opened it and found the card.

"What does it say?" Kurt asked.

"It says, 'If you want your beloved Mediocrity album back, come and get it. Rock Generations, this very week. I'll keep you posted." Blaine was smiling at himself as he said every word. "She hates clichés. This… this is a mystery. She'll be hooked."

Kurt observed Paula, expecting her to get the present and throw it to the garbage outside her house. However, she grabbed the box, the rose and the note, and slowly opened the front door, getting herself in.

That's when Kurt understood everything. "A beautiful present with a rose but the box only has a note with a promise of a casual reunion?" Kurt said amazed. "It's brilliant!" he told Blaine, and they high-fived.

"I wouldn't be able to do this whole thing without you," Blaine responded, and they both laughed but a second later, the inevitable awkward moment arrived. Blaine cleared his throat, growing serious again.

They weren't friends again. No, they weren't… were they? Kurt wished he could deny that but right now it was really confusing. He was glad his cell phone started ringing because he had no idea of what to say next. "Hello… Joel?"

"Yeah. We've got a problem."

"Hold on a sec, I'm gonna put you on speakerphone so Blaine can hear you, too." Soon Dylan's voice was filling the car as both boys listened to him carefully. "Done. Shoot. What happened? Is the video not editable?"

"That's easy. I've had worse."

Blaine and Kurt glanced at each other since that was really big news for them.

"Anyway," Dylan continued, "I talked to T. J. about hosting the party. He said it was ok but that he's having potential buyers coming in later this week, so the only night he's willing to give up is… tonight."

For the love of… "What?," Kurt snapped, and he checked his watch. "It's almost six. There's not nearly enough time to plan an entire party in less than three hours."

They remained there in silence, looking at each other, breathing heavily.

"Unless," Blaine muttered all of a sudden, "we call for backup."


	18. The Horror Show

**18**

**The Horror Show**

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OC's

Rating (this chapter): R for a little bit of violence.

Warnings: None.

Spoilers: Season 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own the songs used in this chapter.

Author's note: After so many months, I decided to finish this story. Why? Because of many reasons, but what made the different is the fact that Matt Bomer was part of Glee. I always imagined him as Blaine's brother, even in this story. Handsome, dark hair, blue eyes… Awesome. More to come soon. In the meantime, enjoy. And sorry for the huge delay!

*.*

**The Horror Show**

"Where's the red one?"

"There, behind the chair."

"It's not. None of my candles are here. Why would anybody take them?"

"I didn't. Why would I want them? I brought mine and I like yellow better."

"Lies. You're a thief and you know it."

"And you're an obsessive Dalton fan. You and your evil red decorations."

"Hey, it's our school. Where's the love?"

"Deep down inside, not all around the room. And I don't need you to ask me that by using Hanson's greatest hits for reference."

"Guys, how's it going?" Kurt asked, approaching David and Wes to check that they were not falling behind schedule because of their endless fights regarding decorations for the big event that night.

"Very well, Kurt," David said, smiling.

Wes frowned and added, "Yes, but it'd get much better if I could find my beloved red candles who someone hid without any reason. I had also brought the blue ones but they disappeared, too."

"Would you give it up already? I don't have them, and the yellow ones are better!"

"Wow, why candles? We want to help Freddie and the bar, we don't want to burn the whole place down."

"Aren't we going romantic here? Why can't we have some nice _ambience_ to go with the flow?" David said, a little offended. "Besides, we were planning to propose them as props for the eleven o'clock number. See?" He showed Kurt a yellow candle. "You light them and then cover them with a glass that matches the base. Looks good, right?"

Regardless of whatever was going on between those two, lighting candles was a terrible idea. Nothing could be risked tonight. Not even if Blaine had said that the Boston PD patrol was outside the bar, the same that he'd seen at home. "No, no. We're not lighting any candles here."

"But…"

"Sorry, candles have to go," Kurt stated, maybe a little bit too loudly, but at least he managed to get his point across. David shook his head and Wes cursed a bit, but both of them started blowing the candles they had just lightened, and also collecting the rest to put them into boxes. Kurt observed them as they worked, feeling a little bit sorry for them but he knew that starting a fire would kill the mood.

"Candles? Really? Isn't that dangerous?" asked someone beside him, and when Kurt turned to that person, it was Blaine's brother, Josh. He looked handsome tonight, dressed in black and with a little gel in his hair. He definitely knew this was a special occasion. Kurt was about to ask him about it when Blaine spotted them from the other side of the room and ran towards them.

"Josh!" Blaine said, his mouth trembling. He looked really worried, and he should be, considering what Josh had gone through. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home, resting? And why are you carrying stuff around?"

Josh was carrying a big box while one of his hands was covered with gauze tightly. However, he offered his little brother a big smile. "I'm all right, you don't have to worry. My hand's ok and this package's not heavy," he assured him. "I found out about tonight. I want to be here for you, Blaine. Just like you were there for me."

It was obvious that Blaine's heart skipped a beat, judging form the way his facial expression went from worried to relieved. Still, he asked, "Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent. Just let me help you help Freddie and everybody else."

"Ok, but the first time you feel pain in your hand, you're going home."

"You sound like my boss," Josh joked. "Deal. Where do I leave this? They're mostly tinsels from our Christmas tree when we were little. I kind of started looking through stuff in the attic. I came across these and I brought the ones that didn't remind me that much of Santa Claus. I hope they're useful in some weird way."

The intention was good, and the idea of Josh Anderson looking into his childhood memories for something to help his little brother fix his friendship with Freddie, was heartbreaking. It didn't matter if Dylan turned out to hate the tinsels or found them corny. "We're gonna use them all," Kurt said proudly, taking the box from Josh's hands. "Trust me, they're gonna look great near the stereos. We'll get someone on a ladder to put them up there."

Laughing, Josh seemed to take in his words. "I'm glad, and thank you…" His gaze landed on something beyond Blaine. "Why are David and Wes pulling out the candles again from the boxes?"

"What?" Kurt muttered, and he couldn't believe that Wes and David weren't taking his advice. He was the freaking organizer!

"I'm gonna check on them, if I may. I could use my best cop voice, even without my badge."

"Oh, God. Thank you." Kurt was truly thankful that someone could take over the situation and make the leaders of the Warblers understand that candles were not an option. Both he and Blaine watched Josh go meet them and state firmly that candles were not allowed and the operation should not be put at stake.

"He really loves being a cop…" Kurt muttered, and he suddenly remembered. "I'm sorry again for what happened to him. Losing someone you care so much about under those circumstances must be really hard."

Blaine took a breath. "Yeah… I guess it happens to all of us, in different ways," he responded enigmatically. "So, is the video finished?"

It had been checked a million times, but Kurt reminded him of it once again. "Finished and ready to be played whenever required. Joel did the final adjustments a few minutes ago. He listened to the entire thing so he's my personal hero right now. I just hope Paula comes."

"She'll be here. I'm sure of it. She loves a good challenge... Do you think Freddie's going to show up?"

Kurt's memory was still fresh from hearing Freddie's broken voice over the phone. "Honestly, I have no idea. He loves Paula, right? But if he's not here in ten minutes, we're gonna get in trouble."

"Well, at least we tried, right?" Blaine said, looking at his watch. "Look at the bar. I can barely recognize it. The Warbler's guests will also be here in a little while. We were lucky they could convince so many people to come with such short notice."

"Yes, they were of great help. I am amazed by how much they love you. Although that doesn't mean that I don't understand the reasons why." Kurt smiled at Blaine sweetly, and saw him smile in return. They were having a little moment there. Maybe one of the few moments they had left, if their friendship ever recovered from everything that had happened lately.

They didn't hear Dylan getting closer. "Hello love birds," he said with his usual calm face, and he didn't even seem to notice that Kurt was giving him a killer look. "Sorry to interrupt, but one of the guests of honor has just arrived… and he doesn't look any good." Josh beckoned the main door, where Freddie was basically grabbing the frame to avoid falling onto the floor.

Immediately, Kurt gave Dylan the box full of tinsels. He and Blaine ran to grab Freddie by the arms and give him some balance. Freddie looked around and opened his mouth happily. "Heyyy, there you are!"

"Hey Freddie," Blaine said, and both he and Kurt starting helping Freddie walk towards the first available table. They had trouble making him sit down as he kept falling with his sloppy moves. "Are you drunk?"

"Yep. Thought it might make this easier," Freddie explained, raising his hands as if he were guilty as charge. "I don't miss her, but at the same time I miss her a lot. I got some beer from a little bar near here that would sell anything to anyone. Luuuuucky me! Now let's paaarty!"

"Look at you! How are going to sing to Paula in this state?" Blaine seemed horrified, and so was Kurt. Their plan was not going to go well if Freddie could not even stand up.

"She's coming to this party?" Why would she want to see me?" Freddie panicked, starting to sweat. "Oh, I bet she want to kill me publicly. God, I knew it. Why am I even here? This is a mistake…" He tried to get up, but he failed and Kurt had to grab his arm again.

"It's not a mistake," Kurt insisted. "Paula's going to come and you're going to impress her. You're gonna sing like Freddie Mercury to her. You're gonna make this happen."

"Freddie Mercury?" Freddie's eyes were now wide open, and he turned to Blaine. "Are you really going to make me sing_ live_? That's not impressing her, that's pushing her away forever!"

"We've got playback, ok?" Blaine yelled at him, and Kurt gestured him to calm down. "Whatever, we need to get you dressed up. I'll take you to the backroom, you'll get ready there." He offered Freddie his arm, and Freddie took him as he pouted. "You can do this, c'mon. You didn't earn your nickname for nothing, _Gary_."

Freddie punched him lightly on the stomach. "Blaine Anderson, you're outraaageous! Don't you dare mentioning my real name again!" he said, and he pointed at whatever was ahead of him. "I'll kick ass, with or without Paula. Now take me to my exclusive dressing room." He took his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on as if he were a rock star. "And by the way this place looks amaaaaazing!" he assured, even if it was clear that he could barely see anything.

"Yeah, yeah… C'mon, Freddie, let's go. Watch your step."

As Blaine took Freddie with him, Joel came to stand beside Kurt. He didn't seem exactly thrilled to meet the fake singer whose tape he'd had to edit. "He's not gonna make it. He'll pass out in fifteen."

"As long as that doesn't happen before his number," Kurt said, tapping the table with his fingers. He was nervous and he kept looking at everything and everyone around him - the Warblers decorating Rock Generations, T. J. yelling at his other employees, Josh trying to stop the candle obsession, Blaine closing the backroom door behind him and Freddie… and the main entrance. There were no signs of Paula anywhere yet.

Dylan strangely excited voice grabbed his attention. "Look, the first guests are arriving." He was right - people were starting to come into the bar. They were surely the Warbler's guests. "Time to make some money." A moment later, he was gone and he was helping T. J. serve drinks. It was quite a view. Maybe something good was coming out of that night, even if Paula and Freddie were not reunited. Maybe the bar had many rock generations to live.

"Are we late?" someone said, and Kurt knew that it was Mercedes, who was always there for him.

"Oh, you made it!" he said, clapping a bit. Kurt noticed that she was wearing an outfit. "That's perfect. I'm so happy that you're going to perform tonight. Thank you."

"You're very welcome. It's been a while since I was in this stage for the last time. I don't mind doing playback. It's for a good cause. I'll just dance as much as I can."

Kurt smiled widely and hugged Mercedes like she was his savior. And that's when he saw her.

Paula. She'd come!

Standing between the guests that had just arrived, she seemed to be a little bit lost. Kurt approached her to welcome her. "Paula! How are you?" he asked very naturally.

"I don't know what I'm doing here," she muttered. She looked sad, but hopeful. That was good news, in a way.

"Did Freddie invite you?"

She nodded. "I saw the posters around my house, with my name on it telling me to come get my record. I don't understand why, but it doesn't matter. I just want my Mediocrity CD back."

"Oh… that. Yeah. I think he mentioned something about that. He told me that he'd meet you right here in a minute. Can you hold on a sec? I'll go get him."

"Thanks. I'm not in the mood for parties, and I don't really want to see him." No matter what Paula said, her words said otherwise. She was clearly interested in seeing Freddie. If she were mad, no CD could have convinced her to attend the party, and she definitely wouldn't have been so nice to Kurt.

Happy and nervous at the same time, Kurt ran to the backroom to check on Freddie. He knocked on the door and Blaine opened the door a bit. "Paula's here!" he whispered, a little bit desperate. "Is he ready?"

Blaine looked worried. "Almost. Let's pray he's sober enough to pull this off."

"Oh, my god," Kurt muttered, rolling his eyes. "I'll get Joel to put the tape. You know his cue."

In a few seconds, Kurt was already asking Dylan to drop the drinks and the bills and concentrate on the performance. Dylan was not too convinced that things were going to turn out well, but he still told T. J. to take care of the customers for a while and he went to check on the video and sound system. Kurt followed the entire process, afraid that something was off. He had a bad feeling and it was bad enough that his hunches were usually right.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yep. All in order. Here we go." Dylan pressed a button in the giant stereo and all of a sudden, music filled the air.

Kurt crossed his fingers that everyone knew their role, and when he could see Mercedes taking her place on the stage, he started to breathe normally. After that, he saw Wes and David taking a spot beside her, which surprised him. If they were part of the show, that had been arranged by Blaine, because Kurt certainly knew nothing about it. It was perfect – the lights, the colors, even the motorcycle T. J. had offered to use as part of the scenario as a thank you gift for trying to save the bar.

Where was the star of the number? Kurt couldn't take his eyes off the backroom door, but just in time, it opened and Freddie came out. He looked exactly like Freddie Mercury, this time without the mustache, due to the song he was going to do. He was wearing a black wig, white t-shirt, leather pants, a leather jacket and leather boots.

It wasn't until he started moving that Kurt understood why his performance as Freddie Mercury had been great enough to earn him his famous nickname. Even drunk, the guy moved as smoothly as the original singer, and had such an incredible energy that a second later everyone was clapping at him. He made his way lip-singing towards the stage and jumped it like a cat. The three screens in the scenario showed his first performance as Freddie Mercury, singing a different song from the track that was playing, but the whole thing looked great.

_This thing called love I just can__'__t handle it__  
><em>_This thing called love I must get round to it__  
><em>_I ain__'__t ready__  
><em>_Crazy little thing called love_

Once on the stage, he started interacting with Mercedes, Wes and David, and the four of them moved across the scenario in a choreography that matched the one from the original video for the song.

_This thing called love__  
><em>_It cries__  
><em>_In a cradle all night__  
><em>_It swings__  
><em>_It jives__  
><em>_It shakes all over like a jelly fish__  
><em>_I kinda like it__  
><em>_Crazy little thing called love_

The next thing Kurt knew, Freddie had come down the stage and was now walking towards Paula, who was staring at him blankly.

_There goes my baby__  
><em>_She knows how to rock__'__n__'__roll__  
><em>_She drives my crazy__  
><em>_She gives me hot and cold fever__  
><em>_Then she leaves me in a cool, cool sweat_

Paula wasn't falling for his moves. Instead, she seemed to be astonished as Freddie got on the motorbike and danced to the music. Then he turned and started walking towards her again.

_I gotta be cool, relax, get hip!__  
><em>_Get on my track__  
><em>_Take a back seat__  
><em>_Hitch hike__  
><em>_And take a long, long ride on my motor bike__  
><em>_Until I__'__m ready__  
><em>_Crazy little thing called love_

Finally, while the crew danced on the stage, Freddie invited Paula to dance with him, and that's when it all went wrong.

The video was off, and so was the music. Dylan was trying to fix it, but it seemed like it wasn't going to happen. Blaine, who was backstage, looked at Kurt, trying to figure out what to do, but Kurt was as clueless as he was.

Oh, they were so screwed.

The worst part was that people were really happy with the performance, and even without the music and the video, they kept clapping, expecting the number to finish with a blast. Kurt placed his hands over his eyes as he didn't want to see what was coming.

Freddie was singing. God, no. People were going to start screaming. They would hate it. They'd hate the entire show.

Except they didn't. They clapped and clapped to the rhythm of the non-existing music, and Freddie was actually singing well. Very well, in fact. When Kurt opened his eyes again, he found Blaine with his mouth hanging open as well as Dylan's while Freddie sang and danced with Paula in the middle of the amazed crowd.

_I gotta be cool, relax, get hip!__  
><em>_Get on my track__  
><em>_Take a back seat__  
><em>_Hitch hike__  
><em>_And take a long, long ride on my motor bike__  
><em>_Until I__'m__ ready__  
><em>_Crazy little thing called love_

_Crazy little thing called love__  
><em>_Crazy little thing called love__  
><em>_Crazy little thing called love__…_

The show was over then, with the last vocals Freddie could offer, as drunk as he was. It was a wonderful show. Even Kurt couldn't believe it.

Dylan was the first one to get closer and say, "I don't know what happened. Audio was working fine before then. I thought…"

"It was amazing," Kurt said, without taking his eyes off Freddie, who was talking to Paula.

"How the hell did he ever sing that bad in the video?" asked Dylan. That was the first question that had popped into Kurt's head. "It's not possible to suck that much and then do_ this_."

"I'll kill him," Blaine said between greeted teeth, joining them. "If that video turns out to be a joke…"

"Look, they're talking," Kurt interrupted him, pointing at Paula and Freddie. "And they're not screaming. They look happy. Guys, I think we made it. I think they're coming back together!"

They pretended like they were not looking at the couple when Freddie came over, barely able to stand up now what the show was over. What a transformation from fabulous Freddie Mercury to the most annoying drunk person ever.

"Guys! This is… aweeeesome!" he screamed, all craziness and jokes. "She said that she'd give me a second chance if I give her the Mediocrity CD back! I don't know what the hell you did with that box you sent her, but it worked!" He clapped like a baby, and damn it, Kurt couldn't understand how Paula still liked him when he was this drunk. After a moment, he decided that it was natural, as he still loved Blaine when he'd had too many drinks. "C'mon, folks! Sing me a song, will you, Blaine?" Freddie insisted. "You, Mercedes, Kurt," he looked at Joel, "and yes, you too, even if I don't know you! Everybody!"

Dylan shook his head in disappointment at first, saying, "Nah, thanks, I think it's better if…" but he stopped once Mercedes came closer and raised her hand.

"That's a fantastic idea!" she muttered. "You know, I know I said I wasn't going to sing here tonight, but… I've got just the song," she said, and she was looking right into Dylan's eyes. He seemed excited –as excited as he could be, because after all, he was Dylan- and he raised an eyebrow before running to get his guitar.

"What song?" Blaine wanted to know, sending strange glances to Kurt, as if he was supposed to decode the message. "What's going on? Are they…?"

"They're dating, yes," Kurt confirmed, and he could hear Freddie clapping.

"Yes! That guy and that girl, me and Paula, this place, this moment! Happy endings! Now you two, guys! Kiss!"

Kurt couldn't help but smile. "What?" he said, as if he were horrified, but he could feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Was it still necessary for Freddie to point out that he and Blaine should be together? Their time had passed. They were done. They were destined to be friends, and that was it.

"Why not? Stop pretending!" Freddie yelled, dancing in a silly way just right there, where he was. "C'mon, you know you want to!"

"Ok, I think you're too drunk. Isn't Paula waiving at you?" Blaine obviously lied, but Freddie still bought it and went to meet her again smiling like a fool.

"He's crazy… but cool," Kurt muttered, trying to stop blushing. It was simply ridiculous. However, when he turned to Blaine, he noticed how the boy was watching him calmly, as if he couldn't get his eyes off Kurt.

Bad idea. Baaaad idea.

Thank goodness Dylan came over and called Blaine's name, making look somewhere else. "Hey, Blaine! Want to joint us?"

"Thanks, but this is your night…"

"What's that excuse? Can't you handle a little Bon Jovi?"

Blaine seemed to change his mind as asked, "Is that a challenge?" with a little bit of cockiness.

Dylan nodded and winked at him. "Well, you know me," he said, smiling, and he beckoned the stage, "and my name's Dylan, by the way." Blaine smiled and suddenly everything seemed to fall in the right place at the same time for Kurt.

People were clapping as they were getting ready on the stage and whispered to each other making plans about their number, but the guests became silent when Dylan grabbed the microphone.

"Hello, people!" he said with his deepest voice yet, raising his hand, "Want some Bon Jovi tonight?"

"Yeah!" the guests responded altogether, including Freddie and Paula, who were holding hands. In a corner, Wes and David seemed to have forgotten about their fight and were now laughing at the situation.

Dylan started playing his guitar, and music felt like beautiful waives in the air. Blaine took the lead immediately and he sang as he looked at Kurt.

_Should I? Could I?  
>Have said the wrong things right a thousand times<br>If I could just rewind, I see it in my mind  
>If I could turn back time, you'd still be mine<em>

Blaine closed his eyes.

_You cried, I died__,__  
>I should have shut my mouth, things headed south<br>As the words slipped off my tongue, they sounded dumb  
>If this old heart could talk, it'd say you're the one<em>

Mercedes continued singing, smiling at the crowd.

_I'm wasting time when I think about it__…_

And it was Dylan's turn to show his talent, while the other two sang as backup in the chorus.

_I__… (__should have drove all night, I would have run all the lights__)__  
>I was misunderstood<br>I__… (__stumbled like my words, Did the best I could__)__  
>Damn, misunderstood<em>_…_

"He's saying that to you, you know?"

"What?" When Kurt turned to the right, he found Josh watching the show with eyes full of wisdom.

"The message of the song. He likes you. He's sorry. He's… Blaine. You just gotta take your time to understand why he does what he does."

Intrigued by the situation and Josh's words, Kurt didn't request any explanations. Maybe all he needed to do was wait – wait for the relationship with Blaine to fix by itself, wait to know how Blaine really felt for him, as time passed by.

When Josh finally walked towards the backroom, the guitar solo that followed was breath-taking, as Dylan improvised most of it. People were astonished and they screamed in delight. When the solo ended, he glanced at Mercedes and smiled as he sang his last part.

_It's you and I, just think about it..._

The chorus, it was magical one more time.

_I__… (__should have drove all night, I would have run all the lights__)_

_I was misunderstood_

_I__… (__stumbled like my words, Did the best I could)_

_Misunderstood_

_I__… ('m hanging outside your door, I've been here before)_

_Misunderstood_

_I__… (__stumbled like my words, Did the best I could__)_

_Damn, misunderstood__…_

_Intention's good._

Blaine, Mercedes and Dylan waived at the thrilled audience, while Kurt couldn't believe how great his friends were. When Blaine got off the stage, people kept clapping at him, and Kurt felt proud of him like he'd never done it before.

"So, was it good?" he asked Kurt, like he held the truth about everything, no matter all the people around them.

Kurt agreed, "Are you kidding me? You guys took my breath away. It was that fantastic." They both walked towards the backroom and once there, Kurt closed the door behind them. "I mean it. You were wonderful up there."

"At some point, I was hoping you could join us, but the song was coming to an end and you were talking to my brother."

Oh, so Blaine had seen that. Kurt snorted. "It was nothing, he was just babbling about the show. Nothing to be worried about. He didn't make any strange comments about us like Freddie's. Totally inappropriate."

Blaine didn't say anything about that and apparently decided to change the subject. "Where is he, by the way?"

"I saw him coming here, but he's not around, so I don't know." It was true. Josh was nowhere to be found.

"He must be outside," Blaine muttered. "He likes to get some fresh air at night, especially when he's worried. Something's off, I know him." Slowly, he started walking towards the door that gave access to the streets behind the bar, and opened it a bit. "There he is. Kurt, would you mind if…?"

"No, of course not. We can talk later."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After Blaine left, Kurt thought that it felt a little bit awkward to stay there, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to help Blaine and his brother, and if that meant listening to their conversation to find out what was going on between them, Kurt would do it. He stood beside the slightly open door, watching them. Josh had his back against the next visible wall and Blaine was still calling his name. They seemed to be alone in some kind of alley, judging from the bar's location and also the lack of cars passing by.

"Josh," Blaine said. "Are you all right?"

"You know, I wish I could fix everything with a song… but some things just cannot be fixed," Josh muttered, and his eyes were getting red. Kurt felt a bit guilty for listening to the entire conversation, but he didn't move from where he was. Josh continued, "I miss her so much. I can't believe she's…"

He didn't finish the sentence. Blaine didn't do it for him either. They stood there in silence until Blaine walked beside him and rested his back on the wall, too. "I wish there was something I could tell you to make you feel better."

Unexpectedly, Josh smiled to himself. "You're a good guy, Blaine. I'll never get tired of saying that," he muttered. "But tomorrow I'll be gone."

"What? Why?" Blaine turned to his brother, frowning. "Did something happen?"

"No." Now it was Josh's turn to look at Blaine. He seemed heartbroken. "I gotta go back to Boston. I have to find the bastard that took Nadine's life. That bastard should be in jail, or even worse. I have to do this. I'm sorry, Blaine. I wish I could stay longer, but I have to leave."

Kurt thought that Blaine would insist, but instead, the youngest of the Anderson brothers folded his arms and whispered, "I don't like it… but I understand… What are you going to tell Mom?"

"The same I just told you. And we both know she'll get worried, but she always does. Who wouldn't with a son who's in danger of losing his life?"

"Don't say that, you know I worry about you, too," Blaine said, and he was definitely nervous. "Besides, you've got that covered, right? I mean, I've seen the car."

"What car?"

"The one that's parked outside our house. The one with the black windows and the guy with the sunglasses inside. That's backup, right? You're protected."

Kurt had a really, really bad feeling when Josh's face turned into a scared expression. "Blaine, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Did you get close to the car by any chance?"

"I waived at the guy once. He waived back," Blaine explained, like he didn't understand why his brother was acting so strange. For a moment, he was out of Kurt's sight. "The same patrol was here before, outside the bar."

The explanation came up crystal clear when Josh shook his head and licked his lips, each one of his words sounding heavy in the night. "The station never sent any backup."

"What? What are you saying…?"

"We gotta get back home… Mom shouldn't be alone right now."

"I don't think you're gonna see her tonight," a serious voice muttered, and all Kurt could hear was Josh screaming Blaine's name. With his heart pounding, he went out to the street, and had to catch his breath when he saw a man with his face uncovered and a knife in his hand, keeping Blaine as a human shield to protect himself.

"Kurt, what are you doing?" Josh said, trying not to cause much trouble in the street. "Stay where you care. Blaine… Hold on there. I'll take care of this."

He was a cop. Yes, he could do this. Officer Josh Anderson could handle the situation. Especially if Blaine was in danger. But the murderer was talking, and Kurt was sure that he'd been the one to call Nadine.

Josh tried to reach for his gun, but the man shook his head and put the knife close to Blaine's throat. "Oh, no, officer. I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned, and Josh took his hand off his pistol. "That's more like it… I've been watching you. Killing you was boring. Nadine was so entertaining."

Kurt felt like his heart was about to come out of his chest when Josh screamed, "Don't you talk about her. You have no right!" Talk about keeping the subject calm. Josh seemed angrier with every passing second. This couldn't end well.

"Oh, I can talk about her. You see, I know her a lot. She didn't say a word when I sliced her throat. Yes. She didn't protest. I think she wanted to die."

"Shut up."

"She couldn't keep up with the job. And she certainly knew that she couldn't keep up with me… She was sure that I would find her and kill her with my own hands… and she waited for me to catch her. Didn't she tell you that when you were together? No. I bet there were some secrets that she couldn't confess," the man continued, reckless. "And now," slowly, he caressed Blaine's trembling skin with the knife, "I will take away one of the last people you will ever love. Just as a little reminder that I'm the one you could never catc…"

One smooth, quick move, and it was over. Both the bastard and Blaine moved at the same time.

Kurt just heard the shot and everything fade into black.


End file.
